Province kicks in $30 million for Massey Hall ‘revitalization’ project

Thestar.com
December 11, 2018
Emerald Bensadoun

The province will be investing $30 million in the renovation of Massey Hall, officials announced Monday.

“This is an infrastructure investment that will make a difference in this community, across Ontario and across Canada,” Minister of Infrastructure Monte McNaughton said at a news conference.

Massey Hall has been closed since July to undergo an extensive two-year renovation.

“It will create direct and spinoff jobs, and strengthen the local economy, the local cultural scene as well as boost tourism.”

The Toronto music hall has been a cultural cornerstone for the city’s music scene with performances from artists like Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Blue Rodeo, Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young. Massey Hall is a designated national historic site in Canada, and was built in 1894 as a gift from Hart Massey to the citizens of Toronto.

The venue has been closed since July for the $142-million, two-year “revitalization project” that includes a thorough makeover for its interior and exterior, an expansion of its overall footprint to take in a brand-new, seven-storey tower -- to the immediate south of its longtime perch on Shuter St. -- that will include a new, 500-capacity secondary live venue on its fourth floor. It is set to reopen in the fall of 2020.

“Massey Hall is part of the cultural and institituional fabric of our city and of our country. It is only right to ensure that Massey Hall is here to entertain generations to come,” said Maloney, who was at the news conference on behalf of François-Philippe Champagne, federal infrastructure and communities minister.

Deane Cameron, president and CEO at The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, said the project will generate more than 1,800 tradespeople jobs that range from general contractors to heritage experts.