Hart House Gym, Pool and Membership at U of T

Hart House opened in 1919. Vincent Massey commissioned it in 1911 and gave it to the university once it was finished. Today it's a neo-Gothic building of more than 200,000 square feet, open 365 days a year.

The gym is only part of it. Hart House also runs the Justina M. Barnicke Art Gallery, a theatre, the Gallery Grill restaurant, clubs, committees and a 150-acre farm in Caledon on the Niagara Escarpment. It's a separate system from the Athletic Centre and Goldring, which U of T's Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education runs.

Hart House lists a 25-yard pool, a running track, a weight room with free weights and machines, cardio equipment and spin bikes. It also has space for basketball, volleyball and badminton, plus group fitness, small-group training and Pilates Reformer.

Drop-in group fitness, aquatics and recreational sports come with the student plan. Hart House doesn't publish a lane count or track length on the pages we checked, so ask at the desk if that matters to your training.

U of T students enrolled in an academic term and paying incidental fees to Hart House have full access to the facilities and drop-in programs. Check ACORN or ask your registrar if you're not sure the Hart House fee is on your account.

In a term when you're not paying that fee, you need a membership. Hart House gives summer as the example and sells a Student Summer Membership with the same access. You register at an Information Services desk. Hart House doesn't post the summer price online.

The Hart House fee is separate from the Kinesiology and Physical Education athletic fee that covers the Athletic Centre and Goldring. Paying one doesn't prove you've paid the other.

Pool times are split into blocks around programs and lessons. Check the live hours page before you go, especially on holidays.

You need a valid U of T student card or a Fitness Centre membership card at the entrance. Hart House runs a no-card, no-entry policy. It allows up to three forgotten-card entries, and a replacement membership card costs $15.

Hart House has three barrier-free entrances: Tower Road on the west side, Founders' Patio on the southeast and the Arbor Room at Hart House Circle. A passenger elevator serves every floor. Building renewal work has closed the North Lane since December 3, 2024.

These prices are for people outside the student fee. That includes recent grads, staff, faculty and community members. Annual plans run to August 31 and are prorated. They need a four-month minimum, and monthly plans a three-month minimum. Both need 30 days' notice to cancel.

Students can join Hart House clubs, from archery, chess and debating to a 50-voice choir, jazz ensembles, an orchestra and a scuba club. You apply by online form. Nine standing committees, covering areas such as art, debates, music, theatre and social justice, have voting seats on the Hart House Board.

The Arbor Room in the basement serves food from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and accepts TBucks. Its own page also lists Saturday hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but the hours page says it's closed on weekends, so check before a Saturday visit. The Gallery Grill serves weekday lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Choose Hart House for a smaller gym with a 25-yard pool, track and drop-in classes, inside a building with clubs and food. Choose the Athletic Centre at 55 Harbord Street for its 50-metre pool, 200-metre indoor track, squash courts and bigger strength space. Goldring suits heavy strength training.

If you pay both incidental fees, you can use both systems. Our U of T gyms guide compares the Athletic Centre, Goldring and Varsity Centre in detail.