Mechanics' Hall was a
concert hall
A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats.
This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...
on the ground floor of the
Mechanics' Institutes building in
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 ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. The hall was used for theatrical productions, music concerts, public meetings, and lectures from 1856 to 1883.
Located on the east side of the downtown area at Church and Adelaide streets, the building was designed by Cumberland and Stone. The hall was designed with raised semi-circular seating and sat 500 people. Its construction was finished in 1856 but was later altered in 1861. During the 1860s the hall was the home of the
Musical Union, a Toronto-based choral society. In 1874 the
Toronto Philharmonic Society The Toronto Philharmonic Society was one of the first secular music organizations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Society included both singers and instrumentalists.
History
The Society was founded in 1845 by John McCaul, who was at the time pres ...
made their debut at the hall under conductor
F.H. Torrington. In 1883 the Mechanics' Institutes building was sold to the city of Toronto. The city turned the building into Toronto's first public library and the hall was converted into storage space. In 1930 the building was demolished.
References
{{coord, 43.65117, N, 79.3749, W, display=title
Concert halls in Canada
1856 establishments in Canada West
Music venues completed in 1856
Music venues in Toronto