Hart House

Hart House, on the University of Toronto campus, was endowed by the Massey family and named for Hart Massey (courtesy University of Toronto Archives).

Hart House, on UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO campus, was designed by the architectural firm of SPROATT AND ROLPH and was built 1911-19. Soldier's Tower, a memorial to the university's WWI dead, was added in 1924. Endowed by the Massey family, and named for Hart MASSEY, Hart House is a large multi-functional student centre with a swimming pool, track, squash courts, theatre, library and dining room, all contained in a building of remarkable architectural coherence. Designed in the COLLEGIATE GOTHIC style, which was then very popular for educational structures, the stone building features 4 distinct wings surrounding a quadrangle, and such details as mullioned oriel and pointed arch windows, all of which are inspired by the medieval colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. The building's key location and appealing design have ensured its continued prominence on the university campus.