About Hart House

Who We Are

Hart House is a living laboratory of social, artistic, cultural, and recreational experiences where all voices, rhythms, and traditions converge. It is the vibrant home for the true education envisioned by its founders.

At Hart House, what you want to do and learn and know is possible. We encourage and support activities that provide spaces for awakening the capacity for self-knowledge and self-expression.

What is a "Living Laboratory"?

It's a place for inspiration, engagement, reflection and action. With company. Who you are is welcome; who you are becoming is why we’re here.

Our Future & Our Legacy

Hart House welcomed the 2009/2010 year with a brand new vision statement which captures the possibilities and opportunities that are brought to life each year through creative and collaborative partnerships involving students, faculty, alumni, staff and the broader community. This statement reflects our highest aspirations and challenges us to seek out and develop your abilities, passions and ideas. By so doing we will continue our traditions of learning through doing, developing important life skills, kindling new friendships and celebrating life.

Completed in 1919, Hart House is a crown jewel in the University of Toronto’s architectural, academic and social history. Designed by architect Henry Sproatt, one of the last North American masters of the Gothic form, and engineer Ernest Rolph, the building is named for Vincent Massey’s grandfather, Hart. Hart House was gifted to the University of Toronto by the Massey Foundation as a gathering place for students. Today, Hart House enjoys a reputation as a signature arts, creativity and event destination in the City of Toronto. The Hart House permanent art collection comprises nearly six-hundred works by renowned Canadian artists, including works considered national treasures by the Group of  Seven, major works by the Automatistes and Painters Eleven, as well as contemporary works by artists from across the country. Hart House is open 365 days a year.