Oakville Galleries was comprised of two sites: Gairloch Gallery at 1306 Lakeshore Road East and Centennial Gallery at 120 Navy Street. The galleries amalgamated in 1978 to form Oakville Galleries, each bringing its own distinct history.

History of Gairloch Gallery

Gairloch Gallery and the adjoining grounds was formerly a private estate that was bequeathed to the Town of Oakville in 1971 by James Gairdner. In his will James Gairdner, a Toronto investment dealer, requested that the residence be used "as an art gallery for the display of works of art by contemporary artists, and the remaining land become a public park." In January 1972, the Town of Oakville took over the 11-acre estate and, through the efforts of a group of dedicated volunteers, the residence began to function as an art gallery in 1974.

Gairloch Gallery is situated in what used to be the main house. Lt. Col. W.G. MacKendrick built this Tudor-style residence in 1922 and, upon his death in 1960, James Gairdner purchased it and the grounds. Of Scottish parentage, James Gairdner named the estate "Gairloch" after a small village in Scotland whose name, when literally translated from the Gaelic, means "short lake."

The former residence's first floor now comprises three rooms designated for exhibition programming, a video salon and an education centre, which is used primarily for art classes, workshops, slide presentations, lectures, receptions and student exhibitions. The second floor houses a reference room/art library, Art Rental and Sales, and administrative office space for staff. The third floor is used for archives, has a small apartment for visiting artists and also holds part of the art library publications.

The white clapboard building, north of the gallery, was built to the personal specifications of Mr. Gairdner and was used as a studio in his later life. The Gallery Shop, as it is now called, is a gift shop run by Oakville Galleries’s Volunteers where one can purchase contemporary crafts created by Canadian artists and designers.

In recognition of the historical and architectural significance, Gairloch Gallery was designated an historic property under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1986.  This designation ensures the preservation and protection of Gairloch's future sense of place and historical continuity.

History of Centennial Gallery

The Town of Oakville developed and implemented as its Centennial project an initiative to house a public library and art gallery in one complex.  The project was realized in September 1967 with the two institutions, Oakville Public Library and Centennial Gallery, within one central building at the northwest corner of Navy Street and Lakeshore Road.