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The Great Hall of Hart House at the University of Toronto, modelled after The Great Hall of Christchurch at the University of Oxford.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_House_(University_of_Toronto)

Hart House is a student activity centre at the University of Toronto. Established in 1919, it is one of the earliest North American student centres, being the location of student debates and conferences since its construction. Hart House was initiated and financed by Vincent Massey, an alumnus and benefactor of the university, and was named in honour of his grandfather, Hart Massey.[1] The Collegiate Gothic-revival complex was the work of architect Henry Sproatt, who worked alongside decorator Alexander Scott Carter, and engineer Ernest Rolph, and subsequently designed the campanile at its southwestern corner, Soldiers' Tower. In 1957, the house hosted future U.S. President John F. Kennedy.[2]

History

Exterior of Hart House taken during the summertime.

Hart House, University of Toronto, taken in July 1924, from the M.O. Hammond fonds held at the Archives of Ontario.

 

As an undergraduate, Vincent Massey read history and English at University College in the University of Toronto, and then completed graduate studies in history at Balliol College, Oxford. Upon his return to Canada, he sought to bring a unifying, communitarian spirit to the highly independent colleges of the University of Toronto, inspired by the social and recreational life that he observed at Oxford's colleges. Massey, who in 1908 had become a trustee of his family estate, offered to establish a structure devoted to extracurricular activities at the university, an idea that was embraced by the university's governors. The land on which the building exists was close to the McCaul's pond, which was buried along with Taddle Creek in 1886.

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Uploaded on December 20, 2024
Taken on April 16, 2024