Guelph in Wellington County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Massey Hall
Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 1, 2025
1. Massey Hall Marker
Inscription.
Massey Hall. . The seeds for Massey Hall were sown at a chance meeting on a Toronto streetcar between OAC President James Mills and Walter Massey (1864-1901), president of the farm implement company Massey Harris. Mills used the opportunity to seek funds for a number of buildings required for the growth of OAC since no funding was available trom the provincial government. Coincidently, three months later, Massey sat beside Mills on another streetcar and announced his family's intention to provide funds to the school. The family believed scientific investigation and literature deserved a permanent home, so they chose to build a library., Massey died of typhoid fever three months after laying the cornerstone on August 14, 1901. The Massey gift was the first private money ever donated to the OAC and is considered the first sizeable amount given unconditionally in the Dominion of Canada. Massey Library, with a capacity for 75,000 books, incorporated many architectural styles and featured towers, Flemish facades, arches, stained glass windows and pillars., F. C. Harrison (OAC, 1892); founder of the Bacteriology Department, designed the coat of arms in the stained glass window oh the staircase and also designed the crest of OAC that was registered with the Department of Agriculture in 1903. Behind the building's 325 seat auditorium were living quarters, known as the Bull Pen, for unmarried junior male staff. It was closed in 1928., The Drive, a painting by Tom Thomson, whose work influenced the Group of Seven, hung for many years in the reading room of Massey Hall. The painting is now part of the University of Guelph collection., The Massey coffee house was built to make college life more appealing and to give students a meeting place. Remarkably, it was dug out of the basement of Massey Hall in just three evenings by OAC, OVC and Macdonald College students. It opened in 1951 and was home to various university student activities until it closed in 1998. Massey Hall housed the university's library until 1968., Massey Hall 1901 , Dedicated to the Historical Plaque Project Team: Sue Bennett, M.H. Bosch BSC. 69, MSc. 71, Ph.D. 2004, Siobhần Harrop BA 88, Elaine Kirby BA '71, Herb Shoveller
The seeds for Massey Hall were sown at a chance meeting on a Toronto streetcar between OAC President James Mills and Walter Massey (1864-1901), president of the farm implement company Massey Harris. Mills used the opportunity to seek funds for a number of buildings required for the growth of OAC since no funding was available trom the provincial government. Coincidently, three months later, Massey sat beside Mills on another streetcar and announced his family's intention to provide funds to the school. The family believed scientific investigation and literature deserved a permanent home, so they chose to build a library.
Massey died of typhoid fever three months after laying the cornerstone on August 14, 1901. The Massey gift was the first private money ever donated to the OAC and is considered the first sizeable amount given unconditionally in the Dominion of Canada. Massey Library, with a capacity for 75,000 books, incorporated many architectural styles and featured towers, Flemish facades, arches, stained glass windows and pillars.
F. C. Harrison (OAC, 1892); founder of the Bacteriology Department, designed the
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coat of arms in the stained glass window oh the staircase and also designed the crest of OAC that was registered with the Department of Agriculture in 1903. Behind the building's 325 seat auditorium were living quarters, known as the Bull Pen, for unmarried junior male staff. It was closed in 1928.
The Drive, a painting by Tom Thomson, whose work influenced the Group of Seven, hung for many years in the reading room of Massey Hall. The painting is now part of the University of Guelph collection.
The Massey coffee house was built to make college life more appealing and to give students a meeting place. Remarkably, it was dug out of the basement of Massey Hall in just three evenings by OAC, OVC and Macdonald College students. It opened in 1951 and was home to various university student activities until it closed in 1998. Massey Hall housed the university's library until 1968.
Massey Hall 1901
Dedicated to the Historical Plaque Project Team: Sue Bennett, M.H. Bosch BSC.
69, MSc. 71, Ph.D. 2004, Siobhần Harrop BA 88, Elaine Kirby BA '71, Herb Shoveller
Location. 43° 31.912′ N, 80° 13.714′ W. Marker is in Guelph, Ontario, in Wellington County. It can be reached from Gordon Street. The marker is on the University of Guelph campus on Johnston Green, accessible by foot on Alumni Walk, approx. 200 metres from Gordon Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 478 Gordon Street, Guelph ON N1G 1Y4, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area and in Southwestern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Massey Hall (here, next to this marker); John Douglas MacLachlan 1906-1987
Credits. This page was last revised on September 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 3, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 56 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on September 3, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
