View looking northeast of University buildings from l to r: J.S. Fulton Laboratory, Kirk Hall (School of Agriculture), John Mitchell Building, Crop Science (in front of John Mitchell Building), corner of Physics Building. Physics annexes in foreground.

Image of the Soil and Dairy Sciences building, now called the John Mitchell building.

View looking southeast of the John Mitchell (formerly Soils and Dairy Science) Building. Crop Science (formerly Field Husbandry) Building in background; corner of Kirk Hall in foreground.

Bio/Historical Note: John Mitchell was born in 1897 at Bradwardine, Manitoba, and moved to Saskatchewan as a youngster. His family farmed near Marsden. He enrolled in the College of Agriculture in 1915, interrupting his studies to serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces from 1916-1918. He saw action in France as an officer in the artillery division and, wounded in 1917, he returned home. Mitchell completed his BSA in 1924 at the University of Saskatchewan and joined the Saskatchewan Soil Survey that same year. While a student, he had worked summers with the Soldiers' Settlement Board, assisting returning veterans to become farmers. In 1925 Mitchell became an instructor in the College of Agriculture and continued his work mapping soils and measuring their chemical and physical properties. He did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, then one of the leading universities in soil science, completing an MSc in 1929 and a PhD in 1931 before returning to the U of S. He was appointed professor and Head of the Department of Soils in 1935, positions that he held for the rest of his career. Mitchell was regarded internationally as a distinguished scientist. He was the first president of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Graduates Association, and figures in the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame. The John Mitchell Building, once the Soils and Dairy Building and presently the home of the Department of Drama, recognizes his contribution to the University of Saskatchewan. John Mitchell died in 1955.

View looking northeast of the John Mitchell Building (formerly Soils and Dairy Science). Field Husbandry (later Crop Science) Building in background; road and landscaping in foreground.

Bio/Historical Note: In the immediate post-World War II period construction was centred on what was called the “Agriculture Group” of buildings including the Virus Laboratory, School of Agriculture and the Soils and Dairy Laboratories. All three were built between 1948 and 1949, all were flat-roofed structures and all of them would be named after prominent members of the College of Agriculture’s faculty. They also introduced a fourth major building material to campus, yellow brick, which was chosen when the preferred greystone was unavailable. The campus was now colour coded: Engineering, red brick; Agriculture, yellow brick; and the Arts and the Sciences, stone. The main portion of the Soils and Dairy Science Building was divided more or less equally between the two departments. Greenhouses attached to the south end of the building were occupied by Field Husbandry and Forage Crops. The new Dairy Laboratory housed the latest equipment to process milk and milk products and supplied the University with all its milk, cheese and cream needs. In 1957, the building was renamed the John Mitchell Building after the Professor and head of the Soils Department and director of the Saskatchewan Soil Survey who had died two years earlier. With the opening of the College of Agriculture Building, the John Mitchell Building became vacant in 1991. It was decided that Drama should move out of the Hangar Building and fill the space. After several renovations, including the conversion of the two large cheese and soil laboratories into theatre space, Drama took up residence in September 1993.

Night scene in winter of Kirk Hall lighted in background; John Mitchell Building at right.

Looking southeast at the John Mitchell (formerly Soil and Dairy Science) Building.

College of Agriculture walkway to John Mitchell Building (Summer).

Looking northwest at back of the Field Husbandry Building at right; Soils and Dairy Science (later John Mitchell) Building in background.

Bio/Historical Note: Field Husbandry changed its name to Crop Science in 1962.

Elevated view looking southeast of the Soils and Dairy Science Building (centre) during construction. Field Husbandry (later Crop Science) Building visible in background on left, with Engineering Building behind it; Kirk Hall in foreground.

Bio/Historical Note: In the immediate post-World War II period construction was centred on what was called the “Agriculture group” of buildings including the Virus Laboratory, School of Agriculture and the Soils and Dairy Laboratories. All of them were built between 1948 and 1949, all were flat-roofed structures and all of them would be named after prominent members of the College of Agriculture’s faculty. They also introduced a fourth major building material to campus, yellow brick, which was chosen when the preferred greystone was unavailable. The campus was now colour coded: Engineering, red brick; Agriculture, yellow brick; and the Arts and the Sciences, stone. The main portion of the Soils and Dairy Science Building was divided more or less equally between the two departments. Greenhouses attached to the south end of the building were occupied by Field Husbandry and Forage Crops. The new Dairy Laboratory housed the latest equipment to process milk and milk products and supplied the University with all its milk, cheese and cream needs. In 1957, the building was renamed the John Mitchell Building after the Professor and head of the Soils Department and director of the Saskatchewan Soil Survey who had died two years earlier. With the opening of the College of Agriculture Building, the John Mitchell Building became vacant in 1991. In was decided that Drama should move out of the Hangar Building and fill the space. After several renovations, including the conversion of the two large cheese and soil laboratories into theatre space, they took up residence in September 1993.

View looking northeast of Soils and Dairy Science (later the John Mitchell) Building. Field Husbandry (later Crop Science) Building in background; cars parked on road in foreground.

Campus buildings (l to r): Kirk Hall, J.S. Fulton Lab, house for farm foreman, and John Mitchell Building.

Looking southeast at the John Mitchell Building (Soil and Dairy Sciences). Sidewalk, lamp post, and trees in foreground.

Elevated view looking north with Kirk Hall in foreground and Agriculture Building in background.

View looking north of Kirk Hall (School of Agriculture), with landscaping.

Bio/Historical Note: Kirk Hall is one of two buildings designed by Frank J. Martin of Portnall and Stock Associate Architects, and was built between 1947-1949. Kirk Hall and the John Mitchell Building share many similarities in materials, form and detail. Originally called the School of Agriculture Building, Kirk Hall was renamed in 1962 after Lawrence Eldred Kirk, who served as Dean of Agriculture from 1937 to 1946.

outside John Mitchell Building