Description of the attraction
Not far from the city center, on the northwest corner of Davenport Road and Young Street, is one of Toronto's most famous structures, the Masonic Temple (also known as the CTV Temple and MTV Temple). This four-storey building was built at the beginning of the 20th century and is considered an important historical and architectural monument.
The history of the Masonic Temple began on November 2, 1916, when the project was approved and documents were signed on the demolition of the existing church building and the beginning of construction work. The solemn laying of the cornerstone with observance of all the ceremonies took place already on November 17. By the end of 1917, construction was completed, and on January 1, the first meeting of the Masonic Lodge was held in the new Masonic Temple. At various times, the temple was home to 38 different Masonic organizations, including 27 symbolic lodges (John's or blue lodges), six Chapters (York Rite), two Red Lodges (Ancient and accepted Scottish Rite), two Templar preceptors and Adoniram Council …
In the second half of the 20th century, one of the best concert halls in Toronto was located in the Masonic Temple, where not only local talents performed, but also world famous "stars". It was here, as part of the first concert tour in North America, on February 2, 1969, that the legendary British rock band Led Zeppelin gave their first concert in Toronto. Such famous performers as Frank Zappa, John Mayall, John Hooker, Bob Dylan, as well as Deep Purple, The Who, Metallica, The Smashing Pumpkins and others have performed on this stage. For some time, the popular British rock band The Rolling Stones also held rehearsals at the Masonic Temple.
Despite the fact that in 1974 the Masonic Temple was included in the list of the "historical heritage of the city of Toronto," it repeatedly passed from hand to hand, and in 1997 the building was completely under threat of demolition. In the same year, the temple was included in the Ontario Heritage Act.
In 1997, the building housed one of the news bureaus CTV, and then Open Mike with Mike Bullard - the famous Canadian late-night talk show that aired from 1997 to 2003 on CTV and The Comedy Network in prime time. Since March 2006, has become home to the MTV Canada office. In 2009, the prestigious Canadian music award, the Polaris Music Prize, was presented here.
In 2012, Bell Media, which at the time owned the Masonic Temple, announced the sale of the building. It was rumored that elite condominiums would be built on this site. However, in June 2013, the building was acquired by Info-Tech Research Group, which announced its intentions not only to preserve and restore the building, but also to organize a charity rock concert within its walls every year.
