The Massey family of Canada was known for manufacturing farm equipment and for being patrons of the arts in Canada. In 1847, Daniel Massey established the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory in what is now Newcastle, Ontario. The enterprise was subsequently renamed as the Massey Manufacturing Co. and, in 1879, moved to Toronto, Ontario. In 1891, the Massey Manufacturing Co. merged with A. Harris, Son and Company to form Massey-Harris Limited, which became the largest agricultural equipment maker in the British Empire. Massey-Harris Limited eventually became Massey-Harris-Ferguson as a result of a 1953 merger between Massey-Harris Limited and a British agricultural machinery firm, the Ferguson Company. The company's name was shortened to Massey Ferguson in 1958, which it maintains to this day. In 1894, Hart Massey built Massey Hall, a concert hall in Toronto, in memory of his late son, Charles Albert Massey, who loved music. Construction was financed by Hart Massey. In 1975, Massey Hall was municipally designated as a historic site under the Ontario Heritage Act. On 15 June 1981, Massey Hall was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Starting in July 2018, Massey Hall underwent a two-year restoration project to restore and renew both the interior and exterior of the building, improve patron amenities and accessibility, open two new music venues, and enable the return of the building's original stained glass windows from 1894. In 1918, the Massey family incorporated the Massey Foundation, which was responsible for the construction of many Toronto landmarks and was the first trust of its kind in Canada. In 1919, Vincent Massey, who would be sworn in as Governor General of Canada in 1952, initiated and financed the Hart House, a student activity centre at the University of Toronto and one of the earliest North American student centres. Vincent Massey, who was an alumnus and benefactor of the university, named the Hart House student centre in honour of his grandfather, Hart Massey. In 1962, the Massey Foundation established, built and partially endowed Massey College, a graduate residential college at the University of Toronto.
Buildings in Canada named in honour of members of the Massey family:
Fred Victor Centre, named in honour of Frederick Victor Massey.
Hart House at the University of Toronto, named in honour of Hart Massey by his grandson, The Right Honourable Vincent Massey, 18th Governor General of Canada, as well as an alumnus and benefactor of the university.
Lillian Massey Building, named in honour of Lillian Massey Treble. It was built between 1908 and 1912 for the University of Toronto's Household Science program created by Lillian Massey Treble, daughter of Hart Massey. It presently houses the offices of the University of Toronto's Division of University Advancement, Department of Classics and Centre for Medieval Studies, as well as the Toronto flagship store of Club Monaco.
Massey Centre for Women, originally called the Fred Victor Mission in 1900 then The Victor Home for Women in 1904 in honour of Hart Massey’s youngest child, Frederick Victor Massey, after his brother Chester Daniel Massey donated a parsonage. In 1989, it was incorporated as the Massey Centre for Women.
Massey College at the University of Toronto, conceived by The Right Honourable Vincent Massey, 18th Governor General of Canada and an alumnus of the university. The Massey Foundation, of which Vincent Massey served as a trustee, provided the financial endowment to build Massey College in 1962.
Massey Hall, funded by Hart Massey in 1894 to honour the memory of his late son, Charles Albert Massey, who loved music.
