The Peter MacKinnon Building is a
National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...
which is part of the
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...
(U of S). The U of S is the largest education institution in the Canadian
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
. The structure is an example of a university building in the classic Elizabethan E shape in Collegiate Gothic style which was designed by Brown and Vallance.
This style is also seen at
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, and
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
and American universities such as
Princeton
Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
. Strathcona Medical
Building at
McGill University
McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
was another collegiate gothic style campus building, also designed by Vallance & Brown, as well as
Hart House at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
. In 1909, Montreal architects named Vallance & Brown designed the University of Saskatchewan Campus. They set out six college gothic style residential and college buildings around a green space which has come to be known as ''The Bowl''
The University of Saskatchewan location next to the
South Saskatchewan River
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow River, Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in ce ...
was across from the
city centre
A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...
of
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
.
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime min ...
laid the cornerstone of the first under construction building on campus, the College Building, on July 29, 1910. The original buildings were built using native
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
- greystone - which was mined just north of campus. Over the years, the greystone was to become one of the most recognizable campus signatures. When the local supply of limestone was exhausted, the University turned to Tyndall Stone, so called because it is quarried at Tyndall, Manitoba. The College Building, officially opened May 1, 1913. This building had the first cornerstone laid in 1910, but was not the first building on campus. However the Professor of Field Husbandry residence, finished construction in 1911, and the Dean of Agriculture residence, now the Faculty Club, finished construction in 1912. In 2001, it was declared a National Historic Site of Canada.
,
oriel windows, and a gothic arch decorate the two storey façade. It had to be shut down in 1997 to undergo restoration. Cochrane Engineering and Friggstad Downing architects completed the construction and the College building was reopened 2005. The College building originally contained the Nobel Plaza, second floor Memorial Plaques, machinery toom and convocation hall and now houses two art galleries and a museum. The first rooms were used for students pursuing a Degree in Agriculture and they could learn to test milk, make butter and ripen cheese. The Honourable
Lorne Calvert,
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
and U of S President,
Peter MacKinnon rededicated the College Building September 6, 2005. It has official designation as both a National Historic Site and a provincial heritage property,
The building was renamed in honour of MacKinnon in 2012.
See also
*
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...
*
Gothic Revival architecture in Canada
Gothic Revival architecture in Canada is an historically influential style, with many prominent examples. The Gothic Revival style was imported to Canada from Britain and the United States in the early 19th century, and it rose to become the most ...
References
External links
College Building General BrochureCollege Building BackgrounderOfficial Site
* ttps://www.usask.ca/communications/ocn/march1-02/news15.shtml On Campus Newsbr>Season’s Greetings! Saskatchewan Architectural Heritage News Magazine
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University and college buildings completed in 1913
College Building
Gothic Revival architecture in Saskatchewan
National Historic Sites in Saskatchewan
1910 establishments in Saskatchewan
Historic buildings and structures in Saskatchewan