The History of McGill University's Buildings

Description

In 1909 James Ross commissioned the famous Montreal architects Edward and William Maxwell to build a house for his son, John Kenneth Leveson Ross, who loved nothing more than horse racing and yachting and managed to spend all of his considerable inheritance by 1935. Ross's house, located across from his father's on Peel Street, shows a trend towards a more austere, symmetrical, Classical style, prevalent in the early twentieth century. This abode, although supported by a steel frame, hides its modernity beneath a symmetrical, Edwardian Baroque style facade. Colossal Ionic pilasters, supporting a broken pediment, emphasize the centre and entrance of the building as does the balcony protruding over the door. As with many Classical edifices, the fenestration becomes less embellished with each ascending floor. The interior features several elegant oak paneled rooms, many of which have intricate plaster details on the ceiling. Marionopolis College bought the house in 1961 for CEGEP administration. In 1976, McGill purchased the house and named it the J.K.L. Ross house. Today it is occupied by the Institute and Centre of Air and Space Law.