Looking northwest with field in foreground. A rail car sits in front of the College Building at far right. Campus buildings in background (l to r): Power House, Engineering Building, Livestock Pavilion and University (Main) Barn visible in background.

Looking east at the College Building with road and the Bowl in foreground.

Bio/Historical Note: The College Building has changed names over the years. The “Administration Building” came into use by the 1950s and the “College Building” was back in use in 1987. Upon Peter MacKinnon’s retirement as University President in 2012, the building was renamed the “Peter MacKinnon Building."

Looking northeast at College Building; winter scene. Engineering Building at left. Four students and a worker with a shovel in front.

Bio/Historical Note: The College Building has changed names over the years. The “Administration Building” came into use by the 1950s and the “College Building” was back in use in 1987. Upon Peter MacKinnon’s retirement as University President in 2012, the building was renamed the “Peter MacKinnon Building."

Elevated view looking southeast of the College Building; image taken from the roof of the Physics Building which appears to be under construction.

Bio/Historical Note: The College Building has changed names over the years. The “Administration Building” came into use by the 1950s and the “College Building” was back in use in 1987. Upon Peter MacKinnon’s retirement as University President in 2012, the building was renamed the “Peter MacKinnon Building."

Looking south at Saskatchewan Hall, Qu'Appelle Hall, Dean of Agriculture's residence and College Building.

Winter scene looking south at buildings (l to r): Saskatchewan Hall, Qu'Appelle Hall, Dean of Agriculture's residence and College Building.

Looking east at campus buildings (l to r): Partial view of Engineering Building, College Building, and partial view of Qu'Appelle Hall. Landscaping in the Bowl incomplete. Road, pathway and landscaping in foreground.

Two men move boxes of books through a window of the old Library in the College Building, destined for the new Murray Library.

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 northwest at the College Building. Evergreen trees in foreground; several people visible walking in front of building.

Bio/Historical Note: The College Building has changed names over the years. The “Administration Building” came into use by the 1950s and the “College Building” was back in use in 1987. Upon Peter MacKinnon’s retirement as University President in 2012, the building was renamed the “Peter MacKinnon Building."

Looking southeast at the College Building. Small evergreens in the foreground. An unidentified man stands on the steps with a car parked nearby.

Bio/Historical Note: The College Building has changed names over the years. The “Administration Building” came into use by the 1950s and the “College Building” was back in use in 1987. Upon Peter MacKinnon’s retirement as University President in 2012, the building was renamed the “Peter MacKinnon Building."

Image of E.L. Wetmore, University Chancellor, turning the sod for the proposed College Building on the University of Saskatchewan campus. Looking on are James Clinkskill (partially visible behind Wetmore), member, Board of Governors, and Walter C. Murray, University President. Engineer's survey pole at centre of image.

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.

Looking southwest at the College Building.

Bio/Historical Note: The College Building has changed names over the years. The “Administration Building” came into use by the 1950s and the “College Building” was back in use in 1987. Upon Peter MacKinnon’s retirement as University President in 2012, the building was renamed the “Peter MacKinnon Building."

Group photo of convention participants taken in front of the Administration Building.

Bio/Historical Note: The Homemakers' Clubs of Saskatchewan were created at a "special conference for women" initiated by the University of Saskatchewan in 1911. The objectives as stated in the constitution, were "to promote the interests of the home and the community". It was organized virtually as part of the university. The director of Agricultural Extension, F.H. Auld, was the ex officio secretary and managing director until 1913, when these duties fell to the newly appointed director of Women's Work, Abigail DeLury. From that time until reorganization in 1952, women's extension remained as a separate unit, reporting directly to the president of the university. After 1952, its work was still carried on independently, but with a greater degree of integration with agricultural and adult education services. Unique in Canada was the Club's official association with the University, which provided the provincial secretary, secretarial staff, and extension department resources to aid the development of the club and its programs. In 1971, the name was changed to the Saskatchewan Women's Institute and the University reduced its role to supplying free office space on campus.

Looking south at the College Building with Engineering Building at right; winter scene.

Bio/Historical Note: The College Building has changed names over the years. The “Administration Building” came into use by the 1950s and the “College Building” was back in use in 1987. Upon Peter MacKinnon’s retirement as University President in 2012, the building was renamed the “Peter MacKinnon Building."

View of campus from the experimental plots while looking north. Buildings include Saskatchewan Hall, Qu'Appelle Hall, Dean of Agriculture's Residence and College Building.