Industrial manufacturing site.
Details of Site Location: In the triangle formed by King Street West, the railway, and Massey Street west of Strachan Avenue.
Boundary History: The site occupied several acres and was bounded on the north side by King Street West, on the south side by the Grand Trunk / Canadian National railway lines, and on the east by Massey Street.
Current Use of Property: Redeveloped with condominium and office space
Historical Description: What became the world’s largest farm implement manufacturing concern, with major roles to play in both World Wars, had humble beginnings indeed. The Massey family came to Canada in 1792, settling in the Cobourg area to farm. By the age of 42, Daniel Massey was worn out by the backbreaking labour of farming and his son, Hart, had become successful in the lumbering business. Daniel was experimenting with farm equipment, and to raise money for a proper factory, he sold his farm to Hart and used the proceeds to set up the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory in a little shed in Newcastle. Inventions were tried and improved, patents were purchased from the U.S.A., and Hart’s self-discipline and capacity for work soon made the company successful. In 1870, he incorpor¬ated the Massey Manufacturing Company and relocated it in Toronto on the site of the former Palace of Industry. The firm continued to expand and merged with its chief competitor in 1891 to form the Massey-Harris Company Ltd. – the largest of its kind in the British Empire. Machinery sold all over the world included the Sharp Sulky Rake, the Toronto Reaper Binder, and the Toronto Light Binder. Hart’s sons took turns as company president, and son Chester’s offspring Vincent was the last Massey to have any involvement with the company. Vincent left the company in 1925 to enter the world of politics and diplomacy, finally being appointed Governor General of Canada in 1952. In 1953 the company merged again with the Ferguson companies to form Massey-Harris-Ferguson and finally Massey Ferguson Ltd. in 1958. As the plant grew, its earliest buildings were demolished and replaced with larger and more up-to-date structures. In the 1880s and ’90s there were many new buildings and additions. One of these at the northwest corner of King and Shaw Streets was the first concrete building in Toronto; it served as the pattern shop for 90 years until it was demolished in 1999. A showroom was built in 1947 and served for 37 years; from 1984 it was rented out until it was demolished. The Massey cafeteria was famous throughout the city. But under the management from the 1950s on, the company began to slide and completely lost sight of the principles of its founders. In 1987 it was renamed the Varity Corporation, slipped into battles with its employees and their pension fund, and ended in bankruptcy in the late 1980s. The one remaining building from the Massey complex is the former head office at 915 King West, designed by E.J. Lennox and built in 1899. A concrete plaque high on the east wall of this building is all that remains to show the location of the complex and the name of the family that built a barnyard experiment into a worldwide empire.
Relative Importance: The importance of the Massey Company to the economy of Canada, and particularly of Toronto, is huge. The company under its various stages of growth and names provided great employment and made large contributions to the war effort through the manufacturing of tanks. In addition, the Massey family collectively made huge contributions to public life in the city through their philanthropy.
Planning Implications: It is difficult to recommend commemoration of the factory complex when almost all of it has been demolished and is being redeveloped in ways that do not echo any aspect of its history.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended that a large plaque or permanent exhibit be mounted at King Street adjacent to the old headquarters building now being turned into condominiums.
The best form for a permanent exhibit is in a parklike setting in which with metal plaques could show the size of the complex and some of the more famous pieces of equipment made there. Commemoration of the site has implications for heavy industry generally and for agriculture specifically, for Massey equipment helped to make Canada “the bread-basket of the world” at one time. It is also a tribute to the family who built a fortune from its business, then shared that fortune generously with the public.
Reference Sources: City of Toronto Archives; Goad’s Atlas (1884, 1890, 1910); Maps Project files.
Acknowledgements: Maps Project; Ontario Society for Industrial Archaeology.