The evolution of McGill’s downtown campus
The early campus
The first classes at McGill College (now McGill University) were held in 1829 in Burnside Place, James McGill’s country home. In 1843, the University constructed its first buildings, the central and east wings of the present Arts Building. When Sir William Dawson became principal of the University in 1855, he took it upon himself to landscape the campus and repair its buildings. Before long, he had recruited the aid of several of Montreal’s wealthiest men, among them Sir William Molson, Sir William Macdonald, Sir Peter Redpath, and Lord Strathcona. These upstanding citizens all donated liberally to the University by giving much needed property, funding, and buildings, including the Redpath Museum (1880), Macdonald Physics Building (1893), the Redpath Library (1893), the Macdonald Chemistry Building (1896), the Macdonald Engineering Building (1907), and the Strathcona Medical Building (1907—now the Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building). The period of expansion they created continued through the 1920s, by the end of which McGill was a University of some renown.
The campus: Early years
The campus: 1930s–1960s
McGill’s initial burst of expansion in its early years slowed in the 1930s during the depression. In the 1940s, the University was too involved in World War II to be concerned with its growing needs. After the War, the enrolment of the University increased dramatically and the University found itself in need of space. A period of expansion ensued which lasted through the 1960s and gave McGill such structures as McConnell Engineering (1958), the Otto Maass Chemistry Building (1963), the Leacock Building (1963), the McIntyre Medical Sciences Building (1965), the McLennan Library (1967), and Burnside Hall (1969).
The campus: 1930s–1960s
The campus: 1970s–1990s
During this time, the campus features a mixture of old and new structures. The need to expand caused the University to take some of the older buildings down and replace them with edifices offering more space. An effort is being made to find new uses for older structures, such as the Foster Building which is being incorporated into the new Wong Chemical Engineering Building. The campus as it always has been, is full of students socializing, going to classes, and taking exams.