December 16, 1999
To: Toronto Community Council
From: George E. Waters, Managing Director, Toronto Historical Board
Subject: 1643 Yonge Street (Massey Mausoleum, Mount Pleasant Cemetery) - Designation Under Part IV of the
Ontario Heritage Act
Midtown
Purpose:
This report recommends that the portion of the property at 1643 Yonge Street containing the Massey Mausoleum be
designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
None.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1) the portion of the property at 1643 Yonge Street containing the Massey Mausoleum be designated under Part IV of the
Ontario Heritage Act.
(2) the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.
Background:
At its meeting of December 8, 1999, the Board of Heritage Toronto had before it the attached report and adopted the
recommendations listed above.
In a letter dated August 23, 1999, the Vice-Chair of the Massey Foundation requested that the Massey Mausoleum in
Mount Pleasant Cemetery be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The designation of the property will
assist the Foundation with their fundraising efforts to help restore the mausoleum.
Councillor John Adams sent a letter supporting the designation. The property was included on the City of Toronto
Inventory of Heritage Properties on August 18, 1976.
Comments:
Short Statement of Reasons for Designation
Massey Mausoleum
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
1643 Yonge Street
The property at 1643 Yonge Street containing the Massey Mausoleum is designated for historical and architectural reasons.
The Massey Mausoleum was constructed in 1890-1894 according to the designs of Toronto architect E. J. Lennox. Hart
Almerin Massey, president of the Massey Manufacturing Company, commissioned the structure as a memorial to, and the
final resting-place for, two of his sons. Other family members are interred in the mausoleum and the surrounding plot.
The Massey Mausoleum is designed in the Romanesque Revival style. Set on a limestone base, the building has a basilican
plan with a two-storey nave, single-storey porch, side aisles and apse, and mock stair tower. Combinations of rough
textured and smooth blocks of granite are used for cladding, roofs, window detailing, and intricate ornament. The paired
bronze doors with grilles, the stained and leaded glass windows, and the sculpted statue symbolizing Hope are important
features. Significant interior elements are the vaulted ceiling, marble finishes, portal and east-end altar, mosaic tile floor
with bronze grille, and circular stairs and crypt (now altered).
The Massey Mausoleum is located in Plot #116 on a elevated triangular site in the west section of Mount Pleasant
Cemetery. For the purposes of designation, the boundaries of the property are established by a limit of one metre around
the structure. Commissioned by one of the City's leading industrialists and philanthropists, the Massey Mausoleum is a
visible reminder of the role of the Massey family in the development of Toronto. It is an excellent example of Romanesque
Revival design interpreted by a significant Toronto architect. The Massey Mausoleum is a landmark in Mount Pleasant
Cemetery, a landscaped garden cemetery known throughout North America for its collection of trees.
Conclusions:
Heritage Toronto recommends that City Council designate the property at 1643 Yonge Street (Massey Mausoleum, Mount
Pleasant Cemetery) under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Contact:
Kathryn Anderson
Preservation Officer, History
Heritage Toronto
Telephone 392-6827 ext. 239; Fax 392-6834
E-mail: KathrynHAnderson@toronto.city.on.ca
Richard L. Stromberg
Manager, Historical Preservation
Heritage Toronto
(g:\report\2000\cc2000\cc002-2000)
List of Attachments:
Report, Managing Director, Heritage Toronto, December 2, 1999 (thb99055.hpd)
Heritage Property Report: Massey Mausoleum
HERITAGE TORONTO
December 2, 1999
To: Chair and Members, Toronto Historical Board
Subject: 1643 YONGE STREET (MASSEY MAUSOLEUM, MOUNT
PLEASANT CEMETERY) - DESIGNATION UNDER PART IV OF
THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT
From: Managing Director, Toronto Historical Board (thb99055.hpd)
RECOMMENDATION
1. That City Council state its intention to designate the property at 1643 Yonge Street (Mausoleum, Mount Pleasant
Cemetery) pursuant to Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act to be of architectural and historical value.
2. That the appropriate officials be authorized to take whatever action is necessary to give effect hereto.
COMMENTS
1. Background:
In a letter dated August 23, 1999, the Vice-Chair of the Massey Foundation requested that the Massey Mausoleum in
Mount Pleasant Cemetery be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The designation of the property will
assist the Foundation with their fundraising efforts to help restore the mausoleum.
Councillor John Adams sent a letter supporting the request for designation dated September 28, 1999. The property was
included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties on August 18, 1976.
A Short Statement of Reasons for Designation, intended for publication, follows. A Heritage Property Report (Long
Statement of Reasons for Designation), including visuals, is attached. Both documents constitute the Reasons for
Designation.
2. Short Statement of Reasons for Designation:
Massey Mausoleum
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
1643 Yonge Street
The property at 1643 Yonge Street containing the Massey Mausoleum is designated for historical and architectural reasons.
The Massey Mausoleum was constructed in 1890-1894 according to the designs of Toronto architect E. J. Lennox. Hart
Almerin Massey, president of the Massey Manufacturing Company, commissioned the structure as a memorial to, and the
final resting-place for, two of his sons. Other family members are interred in the mausoleum and the surrounding plot.
The Massey Mausoleum is designed in the Romanesque Revival style. Set on a limestone base, the building has a basilican
plan with a two-storey nave, single-storey porch, side aisles and apse, and mock stair tower. Combinations of rough
textured and smooth blocks of granite are used for cladding, roofs, window detailing, and intricate ornament. The paired
bronze doors with grilles, the stained and leaded glass windows, and the sculpted statue symbolizing Hope are important
features. Significant interior elements are the vaulted ceiling, marble finishes, portal and east-end altar, mosaic tile floor
with bronze grille, and circular stairs and crypt (now altered).
The Massey Mausoleum is located in Plot #116 on a elevated triangular site in the west section of Mount Pleasant
Cemetery. For the purposes of designation, the boundaries of the property are established by a limit of one metre around
the structure. Commissioned by one of the City's leading industrialists and philanthropists, the Massey Mausoleum is a
visible reminder of the role of the Massey family in the development of Toronto. It is an excellent example of Romanesque
Revival design interpreted by a significant Toronto architect. The Massey Mausoleum is a landmark in Mount Pleasant
Cemetery, a landscaped garden cemetery known throughout North America for its collection of trees.
George Waters
Acting Managing Director
RS/KA
encl. Heritage Property Report
HERITAGE TORONTO
HERITAGE PROPERTY REPORT
1643 Yonge Street: Massey Mausoleum
This report comprises the "Long Statement of Reasons for Designation" under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage
Act for the property at 1643 Yonge Street (Massey Mausoleum). It contains Basic Building Data, as well as
sections on Historical Development, Architectural Description, Context, Summary and Sources. Location Map
and Photographs are included, and the "Short Statement of Reasons for Designation" (intended for publication)
is appended.
Basic Building Data:
Address: 1643 Yonge Street (Plot #116, Mount Pleasant Cemetery; cemetery located on east side of Yonge Street, north
of St. Clair Avenue West)
Ward: 23 (Midtown)
Current Name: Massey Mausoleum
Historical Name: Massey Mausoleum
Construction Date: 1890-1894
Architect: E. J. Lennox
Contractor/Builder: Holbrook and Mollington, stone carvers
Additions/Alterations: 1967: crypt filled in; 1987, apse windows repaired;
1999: exterior repaired
Original Owner: Hart Massey, manufacturer
Original Use: Funerary (mausoleum)
Current Use*: Funerary (mausoleum); * this does not refer to permitted
use(s) as defined in the Zoning By-law
Heritage Category: Landmark Heritage Property (Category A)
Recording Date and Recorder: November 1999/KA
Heritage Property Report
Massey Mausoleum
1643 Yonge Street
Historical Background:
Mount Pleasant Cemetery:
During the surveying of Yonge Street that began in 1794, 200-acre farm lots were laid out on either side of the road north
of Bloor Street. East of Yonge, the lots were laid out parallel to the Third Concession Road (St. Clair Avenue) and
extended east to present day Bayview Avenue. A fledgling community developed at the crossroads formed by Yonge Street
and St. Clair Avenue. On mid-19th century maps, the area was marked "Deer Park" in recognition of the Heath Farm at the
northwest corner of the intersection where deer were purported to wander. With the growth of the City of Toronto and
improvements to Yonge Street, most of the land on either side of the thoroughfare was subdivided into building lots. An
exception was Lot 19, north of the Yonge and St. Clair corners, which remained undivided under the ownership of the
Cawthra family. In 1873, trustees of the Toronto General Burying Ground purchased Lot 19 as the location of Mount
Pleasant Cemetery. It remains the only intact 200-acre lot to survive in the former City of Toronto.
The first non-sectarian cemetery in York (Toronto) opened in 1826 on a six-acre site near the northwest corner of Yonge
and Bloor Streets. Officially named the York Burying Ground, but better known as Potter's Field Cemetery or the Strangers
Burial Ground, the cemetery contained 6000 burials by the mid 19th century. With the continuing growth of the city, and
the need for burial grounds removed from the urban core, the non-profit Toronto General Burial Ground Trust (later the
Toronto Trust Cemeteries and now Commemorative Services of Ontario) was established to development new cemeteries.
Most of the remains from Potter's Field were reinterred at the Necropolis, a 15-acre cemetery opened by the Trust in 1850.
Unidentified remains were moved to Mount Pleasant Cemetery following its opening in 1876.
In 1874, Henry A. Engelhardt designed the new cemetery, originally encompassing the 53 acres closest to Yonge Street.
Trained as a civil engineer in his native Germany, Engelhardt became a landscape architect who laid out parks and
cemeteries throughout North America, including the initial plans for High Park. The design of the cemetery as a park-like
space with walks, drives, fences and natural lakes was inspired by the garden cemetery movement and in particular, Mount
Auburn Cemetery in Boston. Trees, shrubs and gardens were meticulously added and, today, Mount Pleasant has one of the
most important collections of trees in North America, combining indigenous and non-indigenous species.
The first burial at Mount Pleasant Cemetery occurred in March, 1876, prior to the official opening in November, 1876.
Scientist Sir Frederick Banting, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and pianist Glenn Gould are among the
noteworthy people buried in the cemetery where interments number 168,000. Following the annexation of the Deer Park
neighbourhood in 1908, the City of Toronto absorbed Mount Pleasant Cemetery on June 27, 1914.
Massey Mausoleum:
Industrialist and philanthropist Hart Alberin Massey (1823-1896) commissioned the Massey Mausoleum. In 1851, Massey
took over the management of his father's foundry and machine shop in Newcastle, Canada West (now Ontario). Following
its incorporation as the Massey Manufacturing Company in 1870, the firm relocated to Toronto in 1879, producing
agricultural implements on a six-acre site on King Street West near Strachan Avenue. The company grew through a series
of mergers, including one with its chief rival, the A. Harris, Son and Company in 1891. Hart Massey served as the
president of the renamed Massey-Harris Company (it became Massey-Ferguson in 1958 and was absorbed by the Varity
Corporation in 1987). By the close of the 19th century, Massey-Harris employed hundreds and was the largest producer and
exporter of its type in the British Empire.
Hart Massey acquired his plot in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in the early 1880s. Plans for the Massey Mausoleum followed
the untimely deaths of his eldest and youngest sons, Charles Albert Massey (1848-1884) and Fred Victor Massey
(1866-1890). The mausoleum was completed in 1894, along with two other memorials to his children: the Massey Music
Hall and the Fred Victor Mission. In addition to Hart Massey and the sons who predeceased him, eight Massey family
members and close associates are interred in the Mausoleum. Hart Massey's only daughter, Lillian Massey Treble
(1854-1915) is remembered for funding the University of Toronto's Household Sciences Building. Chester Daniel Massey
(1850-1926) was the last surviving son and the administrator of Hart Massey's will. In 1918, Chester Massey oversaw the
creation of the Massey Foundation, whose philanthropic endeavours included the funding of Hart House and Massey
College at the University of Toronto (the latter sites are included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties).
Other members of the Massey family are buried in the triangle of land surrounding the Mausoleum, including Hart
Massey's third son, Walter Edward Hart Massey (1864-1901), who served as the president of the Massey-Harris Company
prior to his death. The Massey Foundation maintains the Massey Mausoleum.
Hart Massey engaged Toronto architect Edward James Lennox (1854-1933) to design the Massey Mausoleum. Following
an apprenticeship with architect William Irving, E. J. Lennox formed a short-lived partnership with Frederick McCaw.
During this interval, Lennox and McCaw won a competition for their plan for Queen's Park, a project that was never
realized but is an indication of the architect's familiarity with park design. Beginning in 1881, Lennox embarked on a solo
practice that was one of the largest in Canada by 1885. While he closed his firm in 1917, Lennox's interest in the field
remained intent and, in 1931, he received accreditation as a certified architect.
Lennox's association with the Massey family began in 1883 when he was awarded the commission for the Massey
Manufacturing Company's head office building at 915 King Street West. At the same time, he devised the plans for a
residence for Charles Massey at 519 Jarvis Street. Charles Massey died prior to the completion of the house. It was
acquired by his brother, Chester, who raised his two sons there: Raymond Massey, the famed Hollywood actor, and
Vincent Massey, Canada's first native-born Governor General. Beginning in 1886, Lennox was occupied with the design
and construction of Toronto's Third City Hall (now known as Old City Hall) on Queen Street West. During this critical
period in his career, the buildings of American architect Henry Hobbs Richardson, whose interpretations of Romanesque
architecture became known across North America, influenced Lennox. Romanesque arches and decorative detailing
marked Lennox's subsequent commissions through the end of the 19th century. His remaining projects for the Massey
family, the Fred Victor Mission at Queen and Jarvis Streets (now demolished) and the Massey Mausoleum, bear the
hallmarks of the style. The extant buildings are listed on the Inventory of Heritage Properties.
Correspondence between the architect and his client indicates that Hart Massey took an active interest in the plans for the
mausoleum (Litvak, 38). Lennox consulted Massey on his decision to replace the simple Classical urn planned for the top
of the structure with a sculpted figure evoking Christian symbolism. This detailing, combined with the church-like
appearance of the structure, reflects Massey's position as one of the leading Methodists in Toronto society.
The Massey Mausoleum is one of 20 family mausoleums (seven of which are partially entombed) located in the west half
of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Classical temples inspired most of the designs. The Massey Mausoleum stands out among
them as the largest and the most impressive of the two displaying Romanesque Revival styling.
Architectural Description:
The Massey Mausoleum is designed in the Romanesque Revival style identified by the use of round arches, heavy stone
finishes and elaborate detailing drawn from the architecture of the 10th through the 12th centuries. Resting on a limestone
foundation, there are ventilation grilles at grade. Combinations of rock faced and smooth blocks of granite are used for the
walls, roofs, window detailing and carved decorations of the structure. The compressed basilican form is based on
Romanesque church architecture. The plan features a central two-storey nave with a stepped roof. Flanking the nave are
short single-storey side aisles (north and south) beneath stepped gable roofs with conical tops. A shallow single-storey
porch on the principal (west) façade contains the entrance. On the rear (east) wall, the building has a semi-circular shaped
apse protected by a conical stone roof with a dentilled cornice. A rounded false stair tower is asymmetrically positioned on
the right (south) side of the entrance.
On the principal façade, four steps lead from the base of the mausoleum to the entrance. A pair of heavy bronze doors
contains grilles with intricate patterns, panels with the letter "M", and hardware. The entrance is protected by a stepped
roof, flanked by banded columns, and surmounted by a name band marked "MASSEY". The stair tower places a carved
panel next to a single opening containing a multi-coloured stained glass window with floral motifs. Above, a round-arched
arcade contains textured leaded glass windows in geometric patterns. Each side aisle displays a large round-arched opening
with voussoirs. The opening holds a three-part window that is divided by columns beneath a transom with roundels. The
upper part of the apse has an arcade of small flat-headed openings, divided by single, pairs and trios of columns and
containing five multi-coloured stained glass windows with floral and leaf patterns. A horizontal band course divides the
two-storey nave into roughly textured and smoothly finished parts. The corners of the upper wall display rounded
buttresses that complement the shape of the columns and stair tower. On all four walls, the clerestorey contains a trio of
round-arched openings. The windows hold leaded glass in a pattern of intricate interwoven circles with highly faceted
jewels and roundels. Two of the windows include horizontal hinged ventilators for air circulation. A lantern surmounts the
roof of the nave. It creates a base for a nine-foot-high figure symbolizing Hope. The anchor placed in the right hand of the
figure can be interpreted as the symbol of the peaceful haven awaiting after the journey of life, or as the "anchor" of the
Christian faith that remains unchallenged by death. The important Toronto sculptors, Holbrook and Mollington, carved the
figure and the other detailing on the mausoleum. Their practice included noted Toronto landmarks such as the Bank of
Montreal Building (now the Hockey Hall of Fame), the Ontario Legislative Building, and the George Gooderham House
(now the York Club), all of which are included on the Inventory of Heritage Properties.
The interior rises two stories beneath a vaulted stone ceiling. A coloured mosaic tile floor contains a cast bronze grille.
Beneath the grille, circular stairs lead down to the crypt with space for 15 interments. The area under the floor was filled in
with concrete in 1967 (this is considered a reversible alteration). On either side of the nave, loculi with marble facings
contain eight spaces for interments. The apse is entered through a round-arched portal supported on columns. At the east
end, an altar is raised three steps.
Context:
The Massey Mausoleum is located in Plot #116 at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. For the purposes of designation, the
boundaries of the property are the structure are established by a limit of one metre around the exterior walls of the
structure.
The ravine setting at the west end of Mount Pleasant Cemetery incorporates several rises of land. The Massey Mausoleum
is elevated on a triangular-shaped parcel surrounded by roadways. With the height of the structure and its raised setting, the
mausoleum is visible from many vantage-points within the cemetery and dominates the monuments in its vicinity.
The Massey Mausoleum is one of the three family mausoleums included on the Inventory of Heritage Properties in 1976.
Dating to 1894, the Northrup-Gooderham Tomb and the French Tomb are built into the hillside in Section T near Yonge
Street. The Mausoleum, a building containing chapels, a crematorium, and niches and crypts for interments, is located
along the south side of the property off Inglewood Avenue. Designed by architects Darling and Pearson and completed in
1920, it is also identified on the Inventory of Heritage Properties.
Summary:
The Massey Mausoleum was constructed for the Masseys, one of the most influential families in the industrial
development and philanthropic history of Toronto. It was built in1890-1894 according to the designs of E. J. Lennox, the
most prolific Toronto architect at the end of the 19th century. The Massey Mausoleum is the largest and most visible
mausoleum located in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, a landscaped garden cemetery noted for its size, design, and collection of
trees.
Sources:
Dendy, William, and William Kilbourn. Toronto Observed. Toronto: Oxford University, 1986.
E.R.A. Architect Inc. "Report on the condition of the Massey Mausoleum, Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto." September
1998.
Filey, Mike. Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Toronto: Firefly Books, 1990.
Kinsella, Joan C. Historical Walking Tour of Deer Park. Toronto: Toronto Public Library Board, 1996.
Lindsey, Joseph. "Hart Almerin Massey". Entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. II. Edmonton: Hurtig
Publishers, 1988.
Litvak, Marilyn. E. J. Lennox. Toronto: Boston Mills Press, 1995.
Lundell, Liz. The Estates of Old Toronto. Erin, Ont.: Boston Mills Press, 1997.
McKelvey, Merilyn, and Margaret McKelvey. Toronto Carved in Stone. Toronto: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1984.
Newman, Peter C. Debrett's Illustrated Guide to the Canadian Establishment. Agincourt, Ont.: Methuen Publications, 1983.
Ramsay, Heather. "Mount Pleasant Cemetery Walk." Toronto: North Toronto Historical Society, 1986.
"The Massey Mystique". Weekend Magazine (16 June 1979) 11-16.
Kathryn Anderson
December 1999
Attachment I: "Short Statement of Reasons for Designation"
Massey Mausoleum
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
1643 Yonge Street
The property at 1643 Yonge Street containing the Massey Mausoleum is designated for historical and architectural reasons.
The Massey Mausoleum was constructed in 1890-1894 according to the designs of Toronto architect E. J. Lennox. Hart
Almerin Massey, president of the Massey Manufacturing Company, commissioned the structure as a memorial to, and the
final resting-place for, two of his sons. Other family members are interred in the mausoleum and the surrounding plot.
The Massey Mausoleum is designed in the Romanesque Revival style. Set on a limestone base, the building has a basilican
plan with a two-storey nave, single-storey porch, side aisles and apse, and mock stair tower. Combinations of rough
textured and smooth blocks of granite are used for cladding, roofs, window detailing, and intricate ornament. The paired
bronze doors with grilles, the stained and leaded glass windows, and the sculpted statue symbolizing Hope are important
features. Significant interior elements are the vaulted ceiling, marble finishes, portal and east-end altar, mosaic tile floor
with bronze grille, and circular stairs and crypt (now altered).
The Massey Mausoleum is located in Plot #116 on an elevated triangular site in the west section of Mount Pleasant
Cemetery. For the purposes of designation, the boundaries of the property are established by a limit of one metre around
the structure. Commissioned by one of the City's leading industrialists and philanthropists, the Massey Mausoleum is a
visible reminder of the role of the Massey family in the development of Toronto. It is an excellent example of Romanesque
Revival design interpreted by a significant Toronto architect. The Massey Mausoleum is a landmark in Mount Pleasant
Cemetery, a landscaped garden cemetery known throughout North America for its collection of trees.
