Discover the Memories
and Profiles of McGill University
up to 40,000 people invading the downtown Campus’s 141 buildings on any given weekday.
Walking the McGill Precinct, trying to commit
to some style of methodology for a book took time, until the concept of the chronological acquisition by McGill gave the book its definitive shape. The buildings are the main thrust of the book that interlaces the personalities and the history of the University.
Gathering information has been a enjoyment as meeting academics and staff at McGill has given insights and history on McGill’s expansion.
Hopefully this book will bring memories back for alumni and friends, and will hasten students to attend this wonderful university in a safe and energetic city.
1859
James McGill had drawn up in his
will that the Royal Institution for
the Advancement of Learning (RIAL)
be given, in trust, his estate of 46 acres
and the sum of 10,000 pounds on the
condition that, within 10 years,
a University or College be named
McGill College.
1893
In 1890, Peter Redpath, whose family
owned the Redpath Sugar Company,
donated monies to build a library
on the east side of McTavish that
was owned by McGill. Peter and Grace
Redpath opened the Redpath Livrary,
designed by Andrew Taylor,
on October 31, 1893.
1907
When the Macdonald Engineering building was destroyed by a fire in 1907, William Christopher Macdonald, a Governor
of McGill, immediately gave funds to
rebuild it from a design by Nobbs. While
it was being rebuild, Nobbs placed his
sculpture of “Phoenix Rising from the
Ashes” on the southern blank wall
of the building.
under construction
1964
The sixteen-storey McIntyre Medical
Sciences Building, designed by Marshall
and Merrett was completed in 1965.
The building contains the famous
Osler Library.
The southern portion contains the
Stewart Biology Building and Annex.
2006
A fountain that was given to McGill
in 1930 by Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney,
a distinguished sculptress, as
“A Friendship Gift to McGill University
by An Admirer of Canada”. Described
as “symbolic of the nation’s strength
implanted in the fertility of the soil”,
the Goodwill Fountain is generally
referred to as “The 3 Bares”.
2008
Now home to the Montreal Alouettes,
the Percival Molson Football Stadium
is set to receive 5,000 additional
seats and added fan facilities
in 2009-2010.
2008
In 1902, Alfred Baumgarten, president
of St.Lawrence Sugar extended his home on Rupert Place to include a ballroom
floor that was mounted on a bed
of springs that gave dancers
a real bounce!
This building became the McGill
Faculty Club in 1935.
1889
The entrance to McGill, with its
gatehouse, had always attracted families to have their photographs taken, usually
while in a carriage or sleigh. In this
photograph, taken in 1889, Leslie Gault’s family and outriders are immortalized
in his unicorn and sleigh.
2008
The Life Sciences Complex
opened in September of 2008, ushering
in a new era for research with the two
new buildings totalling 340,000 square
feet. Equipped with 55 labs
and over 600 staff.
The Complex will investigate five .biomedical fields including chemical
biology, cancer, overall body functions,
developmental biology
and cell research.
