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Massey Harris Lofts is a loft condominium in Liberty Village area of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building is the former head office of Massey-Harris Limited, later known as Massey Ferguson, a large agricultural implements manufacturer. It is the last building remaining from a large factory complex that Massey-Harris operated on King Street West from the 1870s until the 1980s.
Built in 1899 by well known Toronto architect E.J. Lennox, [1] the Richardsonian Romanesque building is located at 915 King Street West and served as head office for Massey Harris (formed in 1891 from the merger of Massey Manufacturing Company of Toronto and Alanson Harris, Son and Company Limited of Brantford and later Massey Ferguson), [2] part of a large 4.4 hectares (11 acres) complex.
By the late 1970s, the head office building had become vacant, as the company used office space downtown. The surrounding manufacturing complex, which at one time employed 9,000 workers, began scaling down its operations, moving manufacturing to Brantford, Ontario leaving only a small-scale operation. After closing the plant completely in October 1982, Massey Ferguson started making plans for a mixed-use development of its manufacturing lands. Under therThe head office building was to have a community space on the first floor, with residences above. The Massey Harris lands were rezoned to permit a new "high-tech zone" south of King, and residences to the north. After rezoning, The remaining complex was sold in 1988 to Counsel Property Corp for $52 million. [3] However, by 1990, the real estate market crashed and ownership reverted to the mortgage holder, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), which had intended to build a data centre on the lands. [3]
CIBC cancelled its plans for a data centre on the property, leaving the redevelopment stalled. The terms of the rezoning agreements were revised, dropping the high tech zone, permitting the head office building to become fully residential. Residential uses were now permitted on all of the former industrial lands. The head office building was converted into the Massey Harris Lofts after 2002. [4] The four-floor structure was converted in 2003 for residential use. The other M-F buildings including the plant were demolished.
Massey Harris Park is located next to the lofts.
Brantford is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County, but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully independent of the county's municipal government.
Massey Ferguson Limited is an American agricultural machinery manufacturer. The company was established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of the United Kingdom. It was based in Toronto, then Brantford, Ontario, Canada, until 1988. The company transferred its headquarters in 1991 to Buffalo, New York, U.S. before it was acquired by AGCO, the new owner of its former competitor Allis-Chalmers. Massey Ferguson is among several brands in a portfolio produced and marketed by American industrial agricultural equipment conglomerate AGCO and a major seller in international markets around the world.
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Varity was a Canadian multinational manufacturing company, created in 1986 from the remains of Massey Ferguson (MF) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Varity also owned Perkins Engines, headquartered in Peterborough, England, and Kelsey-Hayes, headquartered in Romulus, Michigan, as well as subsidiaries in many countries. After a period of corporate losses left MF insolvent, Varity was formed to detach the ownership of insolvent Massey Ferguson from its liabilities, including pension plans, and enable the Massey Ferguson brand and several subsidiaries to continue as working entities. By the year 2000, Varity itself was defunct, having successfully sold off its divisions.
The Massey family is a Canadian family with Methodist roots that has been prominent since the mid-19th century, known for manufacturing farm equipment and for being patrons of the arts in Canada. The family's manufacturing company, later known as Massey Ferguson, provided the Masseys with their significant fortune. Subsequent generations of Masseys have risen to prominence in the arts, philanthropy and governance. The Massey name remains visible through institutions such as Massey Hall, Massey College and the Massey Lectures.
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The Tip Top Tailors Building, now known as the 'Tip Top Lofts' is a former 1920s industrial building converted to condominium lofts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on 637 Lake Shore Boulevard West just west of Bathurst Street, near the waterfront. It was the former headquarters of Tip Top Tailors Ltd., a Canadian menswear retailer.
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Railway Lands is an area in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally a large railway switching yard near the Toronto waterfront, including the CNR Spadina Roundhouse and the CPR John Roundhouse, it has since been redeveloped and today is home to mostly mixed-used development, including the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre. The lands were owned and maintained by the Canadian National Railway and later transferred to the federal crown corporation Canada Lands Company. The area is bounded by Front Street, Yonge Street, Gardiner Expressway and Bathurst Street. The western portion of the Railway Lands is now part of the CityPlace neighbourhood and the eastern portion is now called South Core.
Alanson Harris was a Canadian businessman. He was a sawmill operator and later owner of a farm implement manufacturer in Brantford, Ontario.
John Harris was a Canadian businessman. He was the eldest son of Alanson Harris, founder of A. Harris, Son and Company, a farm implement company that was a predecessor to Massey-Harris and subsequently Massey Ferguson.
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Coordinates: 43°38′30″N79°24′47″W / 43.641540°N 79.412939°W