Exterior of Livestock Pavilion; man standing in front.

Bio/Historical Note: The Livestock Pavilion, one of the five original campus buildings, was designed by Brown and Vallance and constructed between 1910-1912. Built of red brick, slate and translucent glass panels (some of which could be opened for ventilation), it included a large show arena with seating. The Pavilion had a slaughter room and cold storage for the butchery courses. It was demolished in 1986.

View of the National Research Council building under construction.

Bio/Historical Note: In 1916 the National Research Council legislation was enacted and the institution was formed with the mandate to advise the government on matters of science and industrial research. For the first 15 or 16 years of its existence the NRC consisted of offices and borrowed lab space. It launched Canada’s first research journal, “Canadian Journal of Research” and funded research for human and bovine tuberculosis – a significant domestic problem in the 1920s. In 1932, NRC’s first dedicated lab was built in Ottawa. The NRC established a laboratory on the east side of the University of Saskatchewan campus in 1948. The original purpose of the facility was to “use chemistry and biology to diversify Canadian agriculture.” Originally called the “Prairie Regional Lab” then the “Plant Biotechnology Institute,” the facility is now known as “NRC Saskatoon.”

Plans of the Regina Campus

Exterior view of Saskatchewan Hall (women's residence) and Qu'Appelle Hall (men's residence).

First concrete being poured on northwest corner of new Murray Library. Chemistry (Thorvaldson) Building in background.

Bio/Historical Note: Though the first recorded withdrawal from the University Library occurred in October 1909, nearly five decades passed before the Library had its own building. The early collection was housed either on the second floor of the College Building (later known as the Administration Building) or was scattered among a number of small departmental libraries. Plans for a new library building in the late 1920s were ended by the start of the Great Depression; but a dramatically reduced acquisitions budget was offset by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation in 1933. In 1943 the University hired its first professional Librarian. A combination of provincial grants and University fundraising financed the construction of the Murray Memorial Library. The library was named after the University’s first President, Walter C. Murray. Designed by noted Regina architect Kioshi Izumi working under H.K. Black, Architect, it marked a change in campus architecture away from the more angular and elaborate Collegiate Gothic style to that of the less expensive cube. Building materials included granite at the entrance and Tyndall stone as a wall cladding and window trim. In addition to the library, the building housed the College of Law, an office of the Provincial Archives and a 105-seat lecture theatre equipped with the latest in audiovisual teaching aids. The most dramatic transformation took place between 1970 and 1976 when a six floor south wing was added along with an extensive renovation of the 1956 structure. Designed by BLM, Regina, the south wing was unlike any other building on campus. Clad in Tyndall stone panels made to look like concrete (through a "bush hammered" finish), the grey almost windowless building is industrial and utilitarian in appearance. The University's master plan required buildings in the core of campus to be clad in stone. However, the "bush hammered" finish was used since the Library addition was built during a period that saw the flowering of "Brutalist" Architecture, so called because of the wide use of exposed concrete. The new (south) wing, originally called the Main Library, was officially opened on 17 May 1974, and also became the home of the Department of Art and Art History, the College of Graduate Studies and the University Archives.

Early photograph of Saskatchewan Hall

Postcard of Qu'Appelle Hall, the men's residence.

Postcard of Qu'Appelle Hall

Postcard of the Presbyterian College

Firefighter kneeling with hose, firetruck in background as crew works to put out the fire at the Faculty Club.

Bio/Historical Note: The Dean of Agriculture’s residence was among the first buildings on campus. Designed by Brown & Vallance of Montreal, the original plan called for a wood-clad structure but this was abandoned when the Board of Governors decided in May 1911 to use local greystone. Unlike several of the larger buildings, the Dean’s residence was built by university employees with the assistance of day labourers. Construction took less than a year and costs ran to nearly $25,000. Sometimes known as the “Grey Gables,” the building’s first resident was W.J. Rutherford, first Dean of Agriculture. The location of the house, on the campus close to the University Farm, reflected the unique relationship of the Agricultural College with the University. In addition to a family residence, the adjourning grounds were used on occasion as the site for outdoor receptions and social gatherings. Talk of starting a Faculty Club at the University of Saskatchewan started in 1921, but a club was not established until 1927. The centre for the club was a reading room in the College (Administration) Building; and the club's major purpose became sponsoring a series of lectures by faculty members. Slowly, over the years, the club was also opened to other than faculty members: in 1937, government researchers were allowed to join; as were senior administrative personnel in 1959; and by 1962, a degree was no longer a requirement of membership.
A controversial issue of the 1940s was to admit women members of faculty to the club. At a 19 November 1943 meeting, J.R. Fraser moved, seconded by J.B. Harrington, that women members of staff be admitted to the Faculty Club.” There was an amendment, moved by J.F. Leddy, seconded by A.P. Arnason “That the name of the club be changed to the Men’s Faculty Club.” The amendment carried. So the club was called the Men’s Faculty Club for four years, until 21 March 1947 when on a motion of Ansten Anstenson, seconded by J.B. Harrington “that the name of the club be changed to the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Club and that women members of the faculty be admitted.” Carried. The last Dean to live in the house was V.E. Graham who moved out in 1961 so the building could be converted into a Faculty Club, which opened in 1962. The building underwent two more renovations in 1966 and 1975. The latter was the most extensive, at a cost of $607,961, and established the footprint of the building as it exists today. At 3:00 pm on 19 September 1972, a fire that had been smoldering in the roof insulation for hours became apparent inside the club. The building was evacuated and an alarm called into the City of Saskatoon Fire Department. Six units were eventually dispatched to battle the “stubborn” fire before a crowd of several hundred onlookers. No one was injured and the building was saved from catastrophic damage. By 1974, most administrative officers were permitted to join. The Faculty Club is now known as the University Club (2020).

Progress shot of construction of the new south wing of the Murray Library. Cars and crane in foreground; North wing of Murray Library at right.

Bio/Historical Note: Though the first recorded withdrawal from the University Library occurred in October 1909, nearly five decades passed before the Library had its own building. The early collection was housed either on the second floor of the College Building (later known as the Administration Building) or was scattered among a number of small departmental libraries. Plans for a new library building in the late 1920s were ended by the start of the Great Depression; but a dramatically reduced acquisitions budget was offset by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation in 1933. In 1943 the University hired its first professional Librarian. A combination of provincial grants and University fundraising financed the construction of the Murray Memorial Library. The library was named after the University’s first President, Walter C. Murray. Designed by noted Regina architect Kioshi Izumi working under H.K. Black, Architect, it marked a change in campus architecture away from the more angular and elaborate Collegiate Gothic style to that of the less expensive cube. Building materials included granite at the entrance and Tyndall stone as a wall cladding and window trim. In addition to the library, the building housed the College of Law, an office of the Provincial Archives and a 105-seat lecture theatre equipped with the latest in audiovisual teaching aids. The most dramatic transformation took place between 1970 and 1976 when a six floor south wing was added along with an extensive renovation of the 1956 structure. Designed by BLM, Regina, the south wing was unlike any other building on campus. Clad in Tyndall stone panels made to look like concrete (through a "bush hammered" finish), the grey almost windowless building is industrial and utilitarian in appearance. The University's master plan required buildings in the core of campus to be clad in stone. However, the "bush hammered" finish was used since the Library addition was built during a period that saw the flowering of "Brutalist" Architecture, so called because of the wide use of exposed concrete. The new (south) wing, originally called the Main Library, was officially opened on 17 May 1974, and also became the home of the Department of Art and Art History, the College of Graduate Studies and the University Archives.

Looking north at the Physics Building and Addition.

Bio/Historical Note: The Physics Building was constructed by Smith Bros. & Wilson General Contractors from 1919 to 1921 for $437,000, and was designed by D. R. Brown and H. Vallance. It was officially opened in 1922. The building originally housed the Departments of Physics, Botany and Zoology, the Plant-pathology section of the Dominion Department of Agriculture, as well as the soils branch of the Canadian Department of the Interior. The Physics Building possessed non-vibratory walls, laboratories for Electricity and Magnetism, Light, Electron Physics, wireless work, a number of smaller research rooms, a dark room and a large lecture theatre, which was quickly put to use by many different colleges. The attic of the building was used as a temporary museum, with meteorological recording equipment situated on the roof. The basement was fitted with offices and classrooms, as well as with two fireproofed rooms containing the Shortt Library of Canadiana. During the 1946-1947 academic term a Physics Annex was "constructed" on campus at a cost of $46,000. Built initially to accommodate the Betatron, the Annex was a World War II air force hut that was reassembled on campus. After the completion of the Betatron Building in 1951 the annex was used to provide “temporary” classroom space for the department. Though scheduled to be demolished after the completion of the Physics Addition in 1967, the annex would remain on campus until it was destroyed in fire on 28 April 1979. A proper addition to the Physics Building was finally completed in 1967 by W.C. Wells Construction for $2,029,876.

Dr. Leon Katz and class in a lecture theatre in the new Physics addition.

Bio/Historical Note: The Physics Building Addition, designed by Kerr, Cullingworth, Riches and Associates, was initially meant to accommodate a student body of 8,000 for a cost of $750,000. However, the growing demands of the Department during the planning stages led to a drastic increase in the scope of the project. Upon completion the Addition added 36,000 square feet of accommodation to the existing 49,000 in the original Physics Building; the foundations and support columns of the Addition are also designed to support an additional two storeys to the building in future expansions. The basement of the Addition originally housed 20 undergraduate laboratories, each with a proposed capacity of 20 students, four advanced undergraduate labs specializing in Modern Physics, Electronics, Optics and 4th Year studies, and research laboratories for masters and doctoral candidates. As well, main machine, woodworking, students’ and electronic workshops were contained here, as was most of the office space. The building also contained two large lecture theatres and classroom space to accommodate 450 to 500 students. The Addition was restricted to two-storeys so as not to cast shadows on the Biology greenhouses to the north. The exterior of the building was sheathed in greystone, with Tyndall limestone used as window trim, door and window mullions, and as mirror wall panels. Grey slate was used in canopy facings, and in steps and the thresholds to entrances.

View looking southwest of Commerce Building.

R.F.E. (Ray) Harvey, Deputy Minister, Saskatchewan Department of Education, speaks during the Linear Accelerator Building opening.

Bio/Historical Note: The building of the Linear Accelerator (Linac) was not a random event but rather the result of a series of developments on campus. The Department of Physics had over the previous decades built a reputation for experimentation and innovation. The post-war period saw the University of Saskatchewan in the forefront of nuclear physics in Canada. In 1948, Canada’s first betatron (and the world’s first used in the treatment of cancer) was installed on campus. It was used for research programs in nuclear physics, radiation chemistry, cancer therapy and radiation biology. Next the world’s first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit for the treatment of cancer was officially opened in 1951. With this unit research was undertaken in the areas of radiological physics, radiation chemistry and the effects of high energy radiation on plants and animals. When the construction of the Linear Accelerator was announced in the fall of 1961, it was portrayed as the next logical step on the University’s research path. Varian Associates, Palo Alto, California, designed and built the accelerator with Poole Construction of Saskatoon employed as the general contractor. The 80 foot electron accelerator tube was to create energy six times that of the betatron. The cost of the $1,750,000 facility was split between the National Research Council and the University of Saskatchewan with the NRC meeting the cost of the equipment and the University assuming the costs of the building. The official opening in early November of 1964 was more than just a few speeches and the cutting of a ribbon. It was a physics-fest, with 75 visiting scientist from around the world in attendance presenting papers and giving lectures over the period of several days. Three eminent physicists were granted honorary degrees at the fall convocation and hundreds of people showed up for the public open house. For three decades the Linac has served the campus research community and will continue to do so as it has become incorporated into the Canadian Light Source synchrotron.