The History of McGill University's Buildings

Description

The three buildings that currently serve McGill's athletic needs are all located in Macdonald Park, an area of land bounded on the south by Pine Avenue, on the west by University Street, and to the north and east by Mount Royal. This parcel of land was donated to McGill in 1911 by Sir William Macdonald, one of the University's most charitable friends. At one time, the Law family house and the Molson estate, named Piedmont, were located here. In 1920, Macdonald paid for the construction of the Percival Molson Stadium, named after a young, athletic member of the Molson family who had won many trophies for McGill, but was killed by a shell in 1917, during World War I. Percy Erskine Nobbs, a Professor of Design in the School of Architecture at the time, designed the stadium and its fieldhouse. The stadium today is unchanged, except that its stands are much higher than was originally intended. They partially block the view from Douglas Hall, a residence to the north of the stadium.