Massey Hall

A photo of a large brick building with many windows and a triangular roof. The side of the building has an addition on the second floor made of glass.

Massey Hall Renovation and Expansion, 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards in Built Heritage nominee. Image by Scott Norsworthy.

The interior of a music hall. The seating in the hall has red upholstery. On the ceiling of the hall are decorative archways that line up with the decorations on the stage in the center.

Massey Hall Renovation and Expansion, 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards in Built Heritage nominee. Image by Scott Norsworthy.

A close up of plaster work on a cieling. The plaster is constructed in a series of decorative arcs. Although the plaster is white, a light is shining on the cieling giving some of the work a reddish colour.

Massey Hall Renovation and Expansion, 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards in Built Heritage nominee. Image by Scott Norsworthy.

A black and white photo of a stained glass window. The window has a man's face on it. Underneath it says "Mozart"

Massey Hall Renovation and Expansion, 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards in Built Heritage nominee. Image by Salina Kassam.

Revitalization of a Toronto landmark

Project Date of Completion: November 25, 2021

The Massey Hall revitalization project, the most significant renovation in the 127-year history of the Hall, was undertaken to modernize the iconic entertainment venue for the 21st century. Opened in 1894, Massey Hall was deemed a National Historic Site in 1982. The building needed updating for an improved infrastructure that would enhance the overall audience experience, while maintaining the beloved magic of the original venue. The design scheme honors the building’s history while providing Toronto with a state-of-the-art performance venue for the future.

The project included the development of a detailed conservation strategy that served as a guiding document in preserving various character-defining heritage elements of the hall, including the Moorish-styled auditorium, the Art Deco lobby and the Palladian exterior. The interior of Massey Hall underwent meticulous renovation, with special care to retain the building’s character-defining features — including the original ceiling, cast iron columns, and wood-panelled balcony balusters — while enhancing it with needed updates to infrastructure to meet current accessibility standards and technology. Stage acoustics were upgraded throughout to enhance sound quality while interiors were recalibrated to original grandeur. Old fire escapes were also removed from the building’s exterior front façade to reveal highly valued heritage materials that lay underneath.

Project Partners

KPMB Team:
· Marianne McKenna (partner-in-charge)
· Chris Couse (founding principal)
· Graham Baxter (senior associate, phase 2b)
· Matthew Wilson (senior associate, phase 2b + 2a)
· Carolyn Lee (senior associate, interiors)
· Clementine Chang (associate, project architect, phase 2b)
· Nic Green (associate, phase 1 + 2b)
· Klaudia Lengyel (interiors, phases 2a, 2b)
· David Poloway
· Zach Glennon
· Ramon Janer
· Ping Pai
· Andrea Macaroun
· Ramin Yamin
· Victor Garzon
· Mahtab Gashghaii
· Geoffrey Turnbull
· Nonna Shabanova
· Arian Hussainzada
· Shivathmikha Kumar
· Ali Salama
· Amal Dirie
· Olivia Di Felice
· Andrew Barat
· Victoria Ngai
· Charmaine Candelario Lazaga

Additional Team Members:
· Christopher Borgal – OAA FRAIC CAHP, President & Sr. Principal, GBCA
· Sharon Vattay – CAHP, Principal, GBCA (Architectural Historian and Heritage Specialist)
· Carlos Morell – CAHP, Principal, GBCA (Conservation)
· Paul Gagné – Associate, GBCA (Design)
· Eve Guinan – CAHP, Eve Guinan Design Restoration (Stained Glass)
· John Wilcox – CAHP, Vitreous Glassworks (Stained Glass)
· Jean-Francois Furieri – CAHP, Iconoplast Designs Inc. (Plaster Restoration)
· Eric Stewart – CAHP, Historic Plaster Conservation Services (Plaster Restoration – Assessment)
· Fiona Graham – CAHP (Conservator)
· Sam Trigila – CAHP, Clifford Restoration (Heritage Contractor)

Construction Manager:
· EllisDon (Phases 0,2a, 2b), Tucker HiRise (Phase 1)

Consultants:
· Charcoalblue (theatre)
· Sound Space Vision (acoustics)
· GBCA Architects (heritage)
· Entuitive (structural)
· Entuitive (building envelope)
· The Mitchell Partnership Inc. (mechanical)
· Crossey Engineering Ltd. (electrical)
· Crossey Engineering Ltd. (security and I.T.)
· Martin Conboy Lighting Design (architectural lighting)
· Bhandari & Plater Inc. (signage & graphics)
· Engineering Harmonics Inc. (audio visual)
· LRI (code / fire and life safety)
· NAK Design Group (landscape)
· Anjinnov Management (food services)
· BA Consulting Group Ltd. (transportation)
· Turner & Townsend (project management + cost consultant)
· Reich & Petch (exhibit design)
· Total Opening Consultants (hardware)
· Pro-Bel (façade access systems); WSP (civil engineering)

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