The Lillian Massey Building is a Neoclassical building located in

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, at the southeast corner of Queen's Park and

Bloor Street Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...

along the

Mink Mile Mink Mile is an upscale shopping district in the neighbourhood of Yorkville in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, along Bloor Street between Yonge Street and Avenue Road. History In the 21st century, mid-market retailers have begun to locate along the M ...

and across from the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

. It was designed by architect George Martell Miller (1855–1933) and built between 1908 and 1912 for the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

's Household Science program created by

Lillian Massey Treble Lillian Massey Treble (née Lillian Frances Massey; March 2, 1854 – November 3, 1915) was a Canadian philanthropist and educator who was a member of the prominent Massey family. Biography Her parents were Hart Massey, an industrialist who fou ...

, daughter of wealthy Canadian business man,

Hart Massey Hart Almerrin Massey (April 29, 1823 – February 20, 1896) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who was a member of the prominent Massey family. He was an industrialist who built the agricultural equipment firm that became Massey Fer ...

. It presently houses the offices of the University of Toronto's Department of Classics and Centre for Medieval Studies and the offices of the University of Toronto's Division of University Advancement. Part of the building previously housed

Club Monaco Club Monaco is a Canadian-founded low-end luxury casual clothing retailer owned by Regent, L.P. With more than 140 locations worldwide, the retailer has locations in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, South Korea, China, the U ...

’s flagship retail store until 2021.

Architecture

Indiana Limestone Indiana limestone — also known as Bedford limestone in the building trade — has long been an economically important building material, particularly for monumental public structures. Indiana limestone is a more common term for Salem Limestone, ...

facades with columns topped with Ionic capitals. There are several

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

s including one supported by columns forming the grand

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

fronting Queen's Park. The interior of the University of Toronto part of the building has been kept almost unchanged, featuring marble tile flooring and finishes, while the Club Monaco interiors were modified to fit the needs of a retail store. Fort Architects renovated the interior of Club Monaco's part of the building with drywall and hardwood flooring before installing shelves. The original underground pool was covered by a false floor to house the men's section of the store. Landscaping was kept to a minimum as tree planters were used in front of the Club Monaco facade to frame its entrance.

References

{{Coord, 43.66845, -79.39365, type:landmark_region:CA-ON, display=title Neoclassical architecture in Canada University of Toronto buildings Limestone buildings School buildings completed in 1912 1912 establishments in Ontario