Image of the original architectural sketches of the "College of Agriculture" Building including finished building, viewed from the northwest, and landscaping.

Bio/Historical Note: Designated as a provincial heritage property in 1982 and as a National Historic Site in 2001, the University of Saskatchewan's first building has long served as the architectural, intellectual and emotional cornerstone of the campus. Designed by Brown and Vallance, the College Building was originally intended ultimately to house the College of Agriculture; but from the start, served numerous purposes. As early as April 1910, the floor plan included space for milk testing, butter making, cheese making, grain work; a gymnasium; several classrooms; offices for the registrar, dean of Agriculture, director of Extension, and president; the original "faculty club"; laboratories; the library; and quarters for the janitor. After a sod-turning ceremony on 4 May 1910, the cornerstone was laid by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier on 29 July 1910. It was constructed between 1910-1912 by Smith Bros. and Wilson general contractors. The building was officially opened by Walter Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan, on 1 May 1913. The College Building serves as a memorial to much of the university's history: numerous plaques to individuals and organizations can be found in its interior, including memorial ribbons honouring members of the university community who served in the First World War. In 1997 the university created "Nobel Plaza" in front of the College Building, honouring two Nobel Laureates associated with the University: Gerhard Herzberg and Henry Taube. As the university grew, the College Building gradually became the administrative centre for the university. By the 1950s most of the original teaching facilities were taken over by new or expanded offices including those of the registrar, controller, alumni and news services, and presidential staff. The building became known as the Administration Building at this point, and later the "old Administration Building" to distinguish it from the new wing. This expansion continued through the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with the appointment of a university secretary and vice-presidents. While Convocation Hall became too small for regular Convocation ceremonies by 1930, it maintained its original, broader function as a venue for concerts, meetings, lectures, and other events. Parts of the building were declared to be unsafe in 1979, which led to the construction of the new wing of the Administration Building, opened in 1987. Most of the original building was closed, but Convocation Hall remained in use until 1997. The building was reopened and officially rededicated as the College Building in September 2005 after a major rehabilitation project. The rehabilitation was reported to be "one of the largest heritage conservation projects in Canada - second only to the work being done on Parliament Hill." In addition to senior administrative offices and Convocation Hall, it became home to the Museum of Antiquities and new gallery space for the University Art Collection. Upon completion in 2012 the University Board of Governors renamed the Administration Building the Peter MacKinnon Building, in honour of Peter MacKinnon, retiring University President and a driving force behind the project.

Three students pose for camera in Chemistry Laboratory: [Ashley McIntosh Walker, Eugene Maurice Follens, Charles Neil Cameron]. Lab in basement of College Building.

Chemistry Laboratory in basement of the College Building. Beakers, samples, burners, etc in foreground. Unidentified individuals stand in two rows facing camera; [Three] women among them.

Josrph H. Thompson, dean of Accounting, standing up to his knees in water in a flooded room of the Library, located in the Adminstration Building. Shelves of books with signs reading "Reserve Shelf" and "New Books". Tables covered in books and papers.

Bio/Historical Note: Image used in The Green and White, June 1951, pg. 10.

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.

Crowd including dignitaries gather in front of the Administration Building awaiting the arrival of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Flags and bunting on exterior.

Students sitting in the Bowl in front of the Administration Building during Frosh Week.

Three colour-tinted postcards featuring University buildings.
Top image:"Student's Residential Sec. Sask. University". Saskatchewan Hall, with corner of College Building at left.
Middle image: "Sask. University." Newly-completed College Building with two rail cars on each side.
Bottom image: "Anglican College." Emmanuel Anglican College.
Bio/historical note: Designed by Brown and Vallance, Montreal Architects, the College (later known as Administration) building was constructed between 1910-12 by Smith Bros. and Wilson general contractors. Originally a general purpose building, designed in the shape of a capital E, and built at a cost of $297,000.00, the corner stone was laid by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada, on 29 July 1910. The building was officially opened by Walter Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan on 1 May 1913.

Freshmen stand in front of the College Building.

Freshmen stand and sit in front of the College Building as they pose for the camera. There is also two men in a cow suit.

Looking east at the Administration Building across the Bowl; winter scene. Physics Building at left, Saskatchewan Hall at right.

Graduates and guests gathered in front of the University of Saskatchewan Administration building after the ceremony in Convocation Hall. Cars in driveway.

Image taken before the campus was landscaped, showing (l to r) the College Building, Saskatchewan Hall and Qu'Appelle Hall.

Looking south at College Building, and Saskatchewan and Qu'Appelle halls.

Looking east at campus buildings (l to r): College Building, Saskatchewan Hall and Qu'Appelle Hall. Landscaping looks to be newly completed. The two silos of the University (Main) Barn at far left.

Elevated view looking east across the Bowl at campus buildings (l to r): College Building, original Horticulture greenhouses, Saskatchewan Hall and Qu'Appelle Hall. Roadway winds in foreground; the Bowl landscaping progresses