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Oct. 5 - Oct. 12, 2003 |
Bringing Past Into The Future
New downtown lofts in King Street West Village reclaim part of city's history
By Mark Curtis
Originally Published: 2003-09-21
The newest addition to Toronto's growing King West Village neighbourhood may actually be its oldest.
The Massey Harris Lofts is a more than 40-unit residential conversion of the former headquarters of legendary Canadian farm equipment manufacturer Massey Harris. The low-rise building on King Street, west of Strachan Avenue, received historical designation 30 years ago but it has been vacant since the mid 1980s, when Massey Harris, by then known as Varity, ceased its operations.
"The beauty of the building was maintained," says Tony Corsetti, project executive for the Massey Harris Lofts and Director of Construction for building developer Canderel Stoneridge. Corsetti's company is also building two new condominium complexes - nine and 15 stories - just west of the historic lofts project. A new one and a quarter acre park will provide green space for the new developments. The entire neighbourhood is a prime example of Toronto's changing downtown landscape in recent years.
The original Massey Harris office building was constructed in the 1880s and designed by architect Edward James Lennox, architect also of Toronto's Old City Hall. Lennox's Queen Anne style building for the farm equipment manufacturer (in its heyday, the biggest such company in the British Empire), was augmented at the turn of the 20th century with two significant Edwardian style additions. The office building was only part of a vast manufacturing complex run by the Massey family, whose Puritan ancestors had emigrated to the New World in the 17th century. The legacy of Hart Massey, son of the company founder, includes Toronto's venerable Massey Hall and Hart House at the University of Toronto.
Local restoration experts E.R.A. Architects of Toronto were brought on board to bring the King Street building back to life in the 21st century. A two-storey addition of eight penthouses was also created by the local firm. Restoration work consisted of painstaking attention to the masonry and original cornice. Cleaning the building's exterior proved to be a fine balance between refurbishment and care that historic character of its appearance was not lost. One pleasing find for the restoration team during their work was a previously hidden stained glass window bearing the initials of the farm equipment company. The window has become part of a homeowner's unit on the west side of the building.
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