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Massey Hall: History of Toronto’s Concert Hall

Updated · 5 min read

Massey Hall is a red brick concert hall at 178 Victoria Street in downtown Toronto. It opened on June 14, 1894, with a performance of Handel’s Messiah, after Hart Massey, a farm-machinery manufacturer, paid for its construction as a memorial to his sons. Parks Canada designated it a National Historic Site of Canada on June 15, 1981.

Who built Massey Hall and why

Hart Almerrin Massey (April 29, 1823 to February 20, 1896) was born in Haldimand Township, Upper Canada, and ran the Massey Manufacturing Company, which moved to Toronto in 1879. The Canadian Encyclopedia says he built Massey Music Hall, along with the Fred Victor Mission, in memory of his sons Charles Albert and Frederic Victor. Parks Canada states that the hall was a gift to the City of Toronto. A short profile of the man is on the page about Hart Massey.

The design came from Sidney R. Badgley, a Canadian-born architect who worked in Cleveland, Ohio. His surname is spelled several ways in the sources: Parks Canada writes “S.R. Badgeley,” the Canadian Encyclopedia writes “Badgely,” and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry on Hart Massey gives “Sidney Rose Badgley” and says Massey asked him in 1888 for the plans of Cleveland’s hall. Construction was supervised by the Toronto architect George M. Miller, and the building cost $150,000, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia.

The building

Parks Canada describes a three-storey red brick hall in a late Palladian style, with a steel frame, stone detailing, and a pedimented centre block set flush with the sidewalk. Inside, the auditorium has tiered seating, boxes, and a gallery and balcony carried on cast iron columns. The decoration is Moorish. The Canadian Encyclopedia adds that this interior drew on two models, the Chicago Auditorium and the Alhambra in Spain.

Seating capacity has changed several times. The hall held 3,500 people at its opening. A renovation in 1933 reduced it to 2,765, and it stood at 2,550 before the most recent restoration. The Canadian Encyclopedia gives the current figure as just over 2,800. Parks Canada notes interior changes in 1933 and 1948, and lobby finishes dating from 1934 are among the features it lists as character-defining.

The acoustics are the hall’s best-known quality. Parks Canada calls them warm, and the Canadian Encyclopedia reports that audiences have praised that warmth while some orchestral musicians have found the sound deceptive.

Timeline

  • June 14, 1894: opening with Handel’s Messiah, sung by a chorus of 500 with the 70-member Grand Festival Orchestra under Frederick Torrington.
  • 1895: the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir makes the hall its home.
  • 1906 to 1918: the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is housed in the hall. It returns as a permanent tenant from 1923.
  • 1933: renovation reduces seating to 2,765.
  • June 20, 1973: the City of Toronto recognizes the hall as a heritage site.
  • June 15, 1981: designation as a National Historic Site of Canada.
  • June 4, 1982: the Toronto Symphony Orchestra gives its last concert there before moving to Roy Thomson Hall.
  • July 2, 2018: the hall closes for renovation.
  • November 25, 2021: it reopens with a Gordon Lightfoot concert.

A home for orchestras and choirs

For most of the twentieth century Massey Hall was the city’s main concert hall. Parks Canada credits it with supporting the growth of Toronto’s music community, especially the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. The Canadian Encyclopedia records that the orchestra was permanently based there from 1923 to 1982, and that the choir’s performances moved to Roy Thomson Hall in the same year. After that, the hall turned mostly to popular music, jazz, and touring acts.

Notable performances

The Canadian Encyclopedia lists several concerts that are documented in the hall’s history:

  • March 1946: Glenn Gould, aged 13, and Oscar Peterson made their Massey Hall debuts.
  • May 15, 1953: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach played together, the only time all five did so.
  • January 19, 1971: Neil Young gave a solo acoustic concert, released in 2007 as Live at Massey Hall 1971.
  • December 9, 1973: Luciano Pavarotti made his Toronto debut.
  • June 1976: Rush recorded the album All the World’s a Stage.

The same article names Gordon Lightfoot as the most frequent performer in the hall’s history, with more than 165 shows.

The restoration of 2018 to 2021

The Canadian Encyclopedia says work began in 2013 as a restoration project of $142 million, designed by Marianne McKenna of KPMB Architects, and that the final cost was $184 million. The hall closed on July 2, 2018. The work restored the stained glass windows, added a retractable seating section in the centre so the floor can be used for general admission, and improved acoustics and accessibility. The reopening was on November 25, 2021. The same encyclopedia article gives November 24 in its introduction, so the two dates differ by one day in a single source. Media reports of the renovation cost also vary, and the figure given here follows the Canadian Encyclopedia.

Other Toronto halls

Massey Hall belongs to a group of large public buildings from the same era and later. The history of Maple Leaf Gardens, which opened in 1931, covers a different kind of crowd venue, and Old City Hall is a civic building of the 1890s.

Frequently asked questions

When was Massey Hall built?

It opened on June 14, 1894. The Canadian Encyclopedia gives the construction cost as $150,000.

Who designed Massey Hall?

Sidney R. Badgley, a Canadian-born architect working in Cleveland, designed it. Parks Canada spells the name Badgeley. George M. Miller supervised construction.

Is Massey Hall a heritage building?

Yes. The City of Toronto recognized it on June 20, 1973, and it became a National Historic Site of Canada on June 15, 1981.

Did the Toronto Symphony Orchestra play at Massey Hall?

Yes. The orchestra was based there from 1906 to 1918, and again permanently from 1923 until its final concert there on June 4, 1982.

How can the current concert schedule be checked?

Programming and ticket details change often. The venue’s own website is the place to check them.

Last verified: October 2026

Sources

  1. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, “Massey Hall National Historic Site of Canada” (designation date 1981-06-15)
  2. Parks Canada, “Massey Hall National Historic Site” (heritage value, description, 1933 and 1948 interior changes)
  3. Andrew McIntosh et al., “Massey Hall,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada
  4. The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Hart Almerrin Massey,” Historica Canada
  5. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Massey, Hart Almerrin,” vol. 12, University of Toronto/Université Laval
Cite this page

APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 25). Massey Hall: History of Toronto’s Concert Hall. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/massey-hall-history

MLA: “Massey Hall: History of Toronto’s Concert Hall.” History of Toronto, 25 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/massey-hall-history. Accessed .

Chicago: History of Toronto. “Massey Hall: History of Toronto’s Concert Hall.” Last modified October 25, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/massey-hall-history.

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