Massey Hall

Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765.

Massey Hall and the more intimate Eaton Auditorium were the only substantial concert venues in Toronto before the opening of Roy Thomson Hall. For many years Massey Hall was the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.

Massey Hall was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981.

History

Designed by architect Sidney Badgley, Massey Hall was completed in 1894 at a cost of $152,390.75.Mollie Gillen (1965). The Masseys: Founding Family Construction was financed by Hart Massey of Massey-Harris (later Massey Ferguson, before its ultimate principal shareholder director Conrad Black wound down its operations and retired its assets into the Varity Corporation) holding company. The hall's debut concert was on June 14, 1894. In 1933, the Massey Foundation undertook further renovations to the hall. It is currently used for a variety of events and is operated by the same corporation as Roy Thomson Hall.

Many...
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