Special to Ontario Construction News
The sculptured figure gazes across the landscape from atop the elegant, detailed stone building. Could it be a small medieval castle? A church? Or perhaps a unique home? Tucked way from public view, the structure is set in a treed section of Mount Pleasant cemetery in Toronto. The building is Massey Mausoleum, a resting place for generations of the prominent southern Ontario family.
Mausoleum is an Ancient Greek term, derived from the elaborate tomb of ruler Mausolus, who died about 353 BCE in what is now Turkey. Constructed for above-ground interments, a mausoleum has burial chambers (crypts) for caskets and may have niches for cremated remains of dearly departed.
Originally defined as windowless stone buildings, modern mausoleums in Ontario lean toward contemporary design, with simplicity and sleek minimalism. No longer reserved for only the wealthy or royalty, mausoleums may now be the final resting place of any level of society that can afford the costs.
In Ontario, practices are varied when compared to rudimentary traditions of ancient civilizations. Crypts built at the turn of the 19th century may be elaborate, with carved stone, delicate stained glass, and architecture demonstrating European-based styles.
In the 1880s, Hart Massey (1823-1896) purchased Plot #116 in the garden cemetery at 1643 Yonge Street, Toronto. The industrialist and philanthropist owner of the farm equipment manufacturing firm commissioned the construction of a large mausoleum, a granite building to be an enduring memorial to family and decades of innovation.
Massey had no idea that interment space would be needed soon. His oldest son Charles died of typhoid fever at age 35 in 1884, and six years later, his youngest son Fred died of tuberculosis at age 34. The bereaved Massey hired prominent Toronto architect Edward James Lennox (1854-1933) to design the interment building. Construction was completed in 1894.
Massey Mausoleum’s Romanesque Revival style is “identified by the use of round
arches, heavy stone finishes and elaborate detailing drawn from the architecture of the 10th through the 12th centuries,” said Ontario Heritage Trust in “Schedule A: Heritage Property Report,” May 24, 2000. Lennox’s design respected the family’s religious faith with church-like elements that reflected “Massey’s position as one of the leading Methodists in Toronto society.”
Rough-textured and smooth granite blocks were used throughout as cladding, roofing, and the detailing at windows. The central two-storey nave has one-storey aisles at the north and south, with gables and conical tops. A rounded false-stair tower adds charm, and a pair of heavy bronze doors at the entrance add a solemn note. The doors feature decorative grilles, and panels are inscribed with the letter “M.” Over the ornate doorway, the family name is prominently centred with decorative carved stone on either side.
“On the rear (east) wall, the building has a semi-circular shaped apse protected by a conical stone roof with a dentilled cornice,” said City of Toronto’s “Short Statement of Reasons for Designation,” December 16, 1999. The upper section “of the apse has an arcade of small flat-headed openings, divided by single, pairs and trios of columns and containing five multi-coloured stained-glass windows with floral and leaf patterns.”
Images of nature are highlighted on stained-glass windows throughout the mausoleum. “The clerestory contains a trio of round-arched openings,” said City of Toronto. The leaded glass windows display “a pattern of intricate interwoven circles with highly faceted jewels and roundels.” Two hinged window sections provide air circulation.
The interior of Massey Mausoleum is a statement of luxury from a past era. The floor’s vibrant mosaic tile is augmented with a bronze grille. The nave has a vaulted ceiling, enhanced by marble finishes. At either side of the spacious room, 15 crypt spaces were made for interments, along with eight marble-faced niches for cremated remains.
Overlooking the peaceful setting, the 9-foot-tall statue (2.74m) stands on a base carved in the shape of a lantern. Symbolizing Hope, the female figure holds an anchor in her right hand that may be “interpreted as the symbol of the peaceful haven awaiting after the journey of life, or as the “anchor” of the Christian faith that remains unchallenged by death,” according to City of Toronto.
Interments began with patriarch Hart Massey’s passing in 1896 along with his two sons who predeceased their father. The mausoleum’s 23 spaces were eventually filled by family and associated members. Another prominent family member, Canada’s Governor General Vincent Massey (1887-1967) is not interred at the family mausoleum. He is buried at Port Hope, Ontario.
Massey Mausoleum was closed to interments in 1967. The building received Heritage Designation by City of Toronto on May 24, 2000, for its “architectural and historical interest,” according to Ontario Heritage Trust. The passing of time caused deterioration of Massey Mausoleum; it has undergone repair and restoration over the years, with major restoration work completed by ERA Architects in 1999. END 800 words
Susanna McLeod is a Kingston-based writer specializing in Canadian history.
