http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/03/14/heritage_masonic_temple_for_sale_by_bell_media.htmlHeritage Masonic Temple for sale by Bell MediaLooking to buy a Masonic temple? There’s a 43,180 square foot one for sale at the corner of Yonge St. and Davenport Rd. that comes with its own wealth of rock ’n’ roll history and a strict heritage designation.
Bell Media listed 888 Yonge St., a former live music venue recently used as the MTV Canada studio, with real-estate company DTZ on March 4. Bell Media transferred the last of its staff to 299 Queen St. W., its television/radio headquarters, in late November.
The price is unlisted and the company is accepting open bids until April 2, said Bell Media spokesman Scott Henderson. “There are no suggested uses. It is being sold on the open market to all that are interested.”
Transformed from a secrecy veiled temple built for the Masons in 1918 to a ballroom in the 1930s, the building became a sought-after concert venue in the ’60s.
Led Zeppelin played its first Toronto concert there (it was called the Rock Pile then) and as the Concert Hall it hosted the Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Black Sabbath and David Bowie.
Bell Media purchased the building in 1998, using it as a studio for the late-night show Open Mike with Mike Bullard and an intimate stage for the likes of Adele and Kanye West.
“We are very proud to have played a part in the Masonic Temple’s storied history,” said Henderson.
The next step for the brick-and-limestone building is anybody’s guess.
The immediate thought — yet another condo tower in a prime location — is stymied by the building’s protection under the Ontario Heritage Act, which includes a stringent 30-metre height limit.
Since the late ’90s when a 19-storey condo was proposed, the building received extra protection for its elaborate interior of Masonic carvings and a patterned tile floor.
Still, speculators suggest a loophole: using the building as an entranceway to a condo tower next door. The building is currently surrounded by two condos, an office building and a Toronto Community Housing Corp. building, making the scenario unlikely.
Toronto Centre-Rosedale councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam advises prospective buyers to consult the city planning department, neighborhood associations and Heritage Preservation Services before purchase to understand just what can — and can’t — be done with the building.
“It doesn’t mean the site can’t be developed, but there is an appropriate type of use,” she said.
“One of the key things we’d be looking for is cultural and community space,” she said. “The Masonic Temple has a very strong, very clear history of being a cultural animation space. . . . The neighborhood is very deficient there.”