- S-321
- Item
- 1945
Looking east at the Chemistry Building.
Looking east at the Chemistry Building.
Thorvaldson Building - Exterior
Looking southeast at the Thorvaldson Building at left; pathway in foreground with lawn sprinklers on; College Building at centre, Marquis Hall at right.
Looking west at Chemistry annexes; Thorvaldson Building and Arts Tower in background.
Bio/Historical Note: The limitations of the original Chemistry Building became apparent with the massive influx of students at the end of World War II. The rise in enrollment put a strain on the resources of universities across the country. In response the federal government offered military surplus equipment and buildings to educational institutions at bargain prices. The University of Saskatchewan purchased nine surplus huts used at the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan airport at Dafoe, Saskatchewan, for $46,000 and joined them together to form Chemistry Annex One and Two. This “temporary” solution remained in place for two decades. The annexes were reconfigured in 1964-1965. The Thorvaldson Building opened on 6 June 1966. The annexes were removed by spring 1977.
Chemistry Building - Opening Ceremonies
Crowd gathered in front of the Chemistry Building; [F.W.G. Haultain, University Chancellor], addressing the crowd.
Department of Chemistry - Theatre
Image of students sitting in the Chemistry Lecture Hall, Room 271, also known as the airplane room.
Bio/Historical Note: The most enduring legend surrounding the Chemistry Building states that the paper airplanes lodged in the 68-foot domed ceiling of Thorvaldson Room 271 were flung there by Second World War pilots-in-training. When the pilots went to war, the legend says, their family members would periodically visit the Airplane Room—as it became known—to see if their loved one’s plane remained stuck. If a plane fell from the ceiling, it meant that the man who put it there would not be coming home. Wartime pilots did receive training at the U of S through cadet programs and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, although there is no record as to whether they trained in Room 271, now called the Henry Taube Lecture Theatre. The University Air Training Corps was one of the military training units located on campus during the Second World War. This 1944 yearbook photo shows cadets training in an unspecified classroom. (University Publications, Greystone 1944)
For many years, students have attached messages or objects to paper planes and flung them up to the ceiling, where the planes stick in the material lining the dome. Student graffiti on the wooden desks of Room 271 dates back as far as 1933, but the paper airplanes are a different story. During the removal of asbestos from the ceiling in 1995, the original planes were taken down. Wayne Eyre, editor of On Campus News at the time, carefully unfolded each of the 366 airplanes but found nothing relating to the war; instead he just found what he calls “a lot of pranky and dopey comments.” The oldest date written on any plane was 1961. Other planes appeared older as they were brittle and yellow with age, but lacked dates.
Dr. Wes MacAulay, dean of Pharmacy, standing with a Plymouth Savoy car presented to him by the Saskatchewan Pharmaceutical Association in recognition of his outstanding contributions to pharmaceutical education. Chemistry Building in background.
Department of Chemistry - Research
A man in a white coat seated in front of lab equipment at the Chemistry lab.
View from the south of Chemistry Building, Administration Building, Saskatchewan Hall, Qu'Appelle Hall and the Bowl.
Elevated view looking northeast at campus buildings (l to r): Chemistry Building, Physics Building and Kirk Hall.
Looking west across the Bowl. Campus buildings (l to r): Arts, Chemistry, Biology, Physics.
Elevated view from Administration Building looking southwest across the Bowl. University buildings in background (l to r): Qu'Appelle Hall, Medical College, Murray Memorial (Main) Library, and Chemistry Building.
Campus - Scenic - Students Changing Classes
Looking southwest from Administration Building of students changing classes. Buildings (from l to r): Saskatchewan Hall, Qu'Appelle Hall, and north wing of Murray Memorial (Main) Library. Chemistry Building at far right; winter scene.
Campus - Scenic - Students Changing Classes
Looking southeast at students changing classes in winter. University buildings in background (l to r): Administration Building, Murray Memorial (Main) Library, and corner of Chemistry Building in background.
Canadian Officers' Training Corps - Group Photo
Posed image of seven rows of COTC officers and cadets seated in front of Chemistry Building.
Chemistry-Pharmacy Show - Display
Image of a display at a joint Chemistry-Pharmacy Show. Exhibit signs say "Uses of Dyes" and "Pure Food Dyes". Observers look at labelled bottles on a long counter.