Massey Hall

The idea for Massey Hall began with Hart Massey.

The idea of Massey Music Hall began with Hart Massey, who wanted to build a music hall in order to fill the need for a secular meeting place where people from Toronto and area could meet and enjoy choral music not of a religious theme. Massey also wanted to construct the building in memory of his son Charles, who loved music.[1] Massey also did not want the music hall to make large profits. He wanted both rich and poor to attend events. Ideally, once all expenses were paid, Massey wanted tickets for a season of lectures to sell for $1.[3]

The building was designed with a neoclassical facade, and features moorish arches that span the width of the interior hall. This interior was inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Spain as well as Louis Sullivan's Chicago Auditorium.[1] The exterior neoclassical facade was a preference voiced from Lillian, Hart Massey's daughter.

Designed by architect Sidney Badgley, Massey Hall was completed in 1894 at a cost of $152,390.75.[4] Construction was financed by Hart Massey of Massey-Harris (later Massey Ferguson) holding company. The hall's debut concert was on June 14, 1894.[5] The Albert Building, at 15 Shuter Street, was added as a janitorial residence in 1917, and later converted as backstage space.[6] However, it will be demolished and replaced by a new addition during pending renovations in spite of potential historic value (featuring a two storey oriel window).[7] The exterior is Palladian architecture while the interior is Moorish Revival architecture.[7]

10 years after the completion of construction, a pair of fire escape staircases were installed along the front face of the building.[3] They were installed to deal with fire concerns of the building.[3] These fire escapes are considered an iconic part of Massey Hall's exterior. At some point in its renovation history, three of the windows at the front of the venue were converted into doors, The doors at the front of the venue were painted red (from their earlier brown-gold colour), a large neon sign was hung above the main entrance, and notice boards listing upcoming acts were revamped on either side of those doors.

Entrance of Massey Hall in August 2017.

In 1933, the Massey Foundation undertook further renovations to the hall. The venue simplified its name to Massey Hall at this time.[8] It is currently used for a variety of events and is operated by the same corporation as Roy Thomson Hall.

In 1994, to commemorate the hall's 100th anniversary, the basement was completely refurbished to include Centuries, a fully stocked bar. Prior to this addition, alcohol was not permitted in the hall.[3] The decor of Centuries includes hundreds of photos of artists who have performed there over the years (largely collecting portraits of popular music stars since the eighties) including many autographs. Centuries has a capacity of 220 people, and often hosts CD release parties and post-show parties for the visiting artists. Roughly five years after Centuries was created, an additional bar in the balcony lounge was added.[9]

According to the venue's website: "Massey Hall is undergoing the most significant renovation in its 124 year history and is closed for two years as of the beginning of July, 2018",[10] including a new seven-story addition and two smaller concert rooms. The addition will be called Allied Music Centre and will have an artists' lab, studio, lounge and theatre; there will also be a new retractable seating system at Massey Hall.[11]

In 2013, the Corporation of Roy Thomson and Massey Hall announced the closing of the performance space at Toronto’s Massey Hall for a revitalization project. The then 119-year-old building would proceed to undergo a two-phase renovation to restore some of the building's historic elements and the construction of new spaces to improve the community-driven centre.

Phase One

Phase one of the Massey Hall Restoration began in 2013 and was completed in 2017. This 16,000 ft²[13] project consisted of the deconstruction of the adjacent Albert Building in order to prepare for the foundation of the new tower that was planned to be constructed in Phase Two.[14]

Massey Hall Exterior Pre renovation

Phase Two Full restoration

Massey Hall Construction 2021

The renovation of the interior of Massey Hall incorporated upgrading the technology by the implementation of mechanized removable seating to provide space for a standing general-admission area during performances[16] and enhancing the audio and lighting systems.[17] This refurbishment allowed for more flexibility for a variety of performances. The audio enhancements included diminishing the echo effect of sound that occurs during performances by introducing sound-absorbing plaster into the space.[18]

The refurbishment also incorporated restoring the mixed architectural styles of Moorish, Palladian revival, and Art Deco found within the interior of the building, while also ensuring the structural integrity of the building.[19] The main idea was to make sure the Hall looked as if nothing had changed. This refurbishment procedure included the original wood, steel beams and restorers, repairing details, and making new plaster molds of arch features if they were beyond repair.[20] The ceiling had previously been covered in chicken wire in order to protect the audience below from debris.[16] The renovation allowed for audiences to see the repaired detailed ceiling. The interior renewal also consisted of keeping the Hall’s original brass railings and new seats, which mimicked the originals.[21] The renovation moreover, focused on re-establishing the 100 original stained-glass windows that had been concealed with plywood since the 1950s due to sound disturbances reasons.[17] The refurbishment of the panes involved the fitting of noise defensive shades for the glass during concerts and performances.[17] The renovation also facilitated the updating of Massey Hall to meet current Canadian accessibility standards. These updates included a Passerelle to connect the old Massey Hall to the addition and an elevator allowing individuals easy access to the upper levels.[19] The grand stage was rebuilt and lifted to provide better visibility from the upper gallery seats.[16] The restoration additionally re-established new backstage artist and performer accommodations.[17]

Massey Hall exterior under construction

A memorial held for King Edward VII at Massey Hall in 1910.

Interior of Massey Hall during Video Games Live concert series in 2006.

Many dignitaries have attended the hall since its inauguration. In 1901, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (the future King George V and his wife Queen Mary) visited with Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier.[5]

Many prominent figures have appeared on the broad stage of this stately hall, including Montserrat Caballe, William Booth, Maria Callas, Enrico Caruso, Vladimir Rosing, Winston Churchill, George Gershwin, Jerry Seinfeld, Glenn Gould, Vladimir Horowitz, Dalai Lama, Gordon Lightfoot, Luciano Pavarotti, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Cream, Thomas Mann, The Kinks, Billy Joel, Lenny Kravitz, Oscar Peterson, Joe Satriani, Arturo Toscanini and Yngwie Malmsteen.

It was the location of the Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie concert, recorded as Jazz at Massey Hall, in May 1953. Accompanying Gillespie and Parker in this acoustically sound hall were Bud Powell, Max Roach and Charles Mingus.[3]

Neil Young's performance on January 19, 1971, was recorded and later released as a live album, entitled Live at Massey Hall 1971.[3]

Rush, in June 1976, recorded the live album All the World's a Stage here.[3]

Matthew Good performed and recorded his concert, on May 29, 2008, which was released as a live album, entitled Live at Massey Hall.[22]

During the Natty Dread Tour, Bob Marley and The Wailers performed for the first time in Toronto on June 8, 1975.

On January 8, 1995, Ronnie Hawkins celebrated his 60th birthday by throwing a concert here, which was documented on the album Let It Rock.[3] The concert featured performances by Hawkins, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Band and Larry Gowan. Jeff Healey sat in on guitar for most, if not all, of the performances. Hawkins' band, The Hawks, or permutations of it, backed most, if not all, of the acts. All of the musicians performing that night were collectively dubbed "The Rock ‘N’ Roll Orchestra[3]".

On December 21, 2011, Justin Bieber performed a special Christmas concert, which sold out in 30 minutes.[23]

Max Webster, a Toronto band, headlined at the venue in 1977 and again in 1978, as well as opening for Rush for three nights in June 1976.[24]

Kim Mitchell, former guitarist and lead vocalist of the band Max Webster, played to a capacity crowd in 1984 after the release of his platinum selling album Akimbo Alogo.[25]

American rock band Van Halen played their first ever Canadian concert on March 14, 1978, to a capacity crowd at the venue.

Canadian rock band Spirit of the West's 2015 concert at the venue, and the preparations for it, are profiled in the 2016 documentary film Spirit Unforgettable.[26]

Toronto-born comedian Russell Peters filmed his Netflix Original stand-up special Almost Famous over two nights at Massey Hall in April 2016.[27]

On his first solo tour, after One Direction went on hiatus, English singer Harry Styles performed at the venue on October 4, 2017. His tour sold out in seconds, setting a new Ticketmaster record.[28]

Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish performed at the venue on March 21, 2018, as part of their Decades: World Tour.[29]

In conjunction with their first-ever performance at the venue, folk-rock band Whitehorse released the 2013 EP The Road to Massey Hall, comprising covers of songs by other musicians who had played the hall in the past.[30]

For their first concert in Toronto, K-pop group Seventeen performed at Massey Hall on August 25, 2017.

For the Juno Awards of 2021, which was performed from a variety of venues across Canada, the surviving members of The Tragically Hip performed their 2002 single "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken" with Feist on lead vocals, which marked the band's first televised performance since Gord Downie's death.[31]

An entrance to Queen subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University is located nearby at the corner of Shuter Street and Yonge Street.

The 501 Queen streetcar line has stops at the corner of Victoria Street and Queen Street.

In 1973, Toronto City Council designated Massey Hall a Heritage Property under the province's Ontario Heritage Act.[32] Massey Hall was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on June 15, 1981.[2]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massey Hall.

• Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall
• The Canadian Encyclopedia: Massey Hall