BRANDON COLLEGE BUILDING
The construction of the Brandon College Building, also known as the Original Building, was primarily financed by Mr. and Mrs. William Davies, a Toronto based Baptist meat packer, and his sister Mrs. Emily Davies, also of Toronto, who pledged $5,000 a year for five years to the new Baptist College. Four city blocks between 18th and 20th streets were purchased for the College campus and the tender of Messrs. T.M. Harrington of Winnipeg was accepted in the spring of 1900; Mr. Hugh McCowan of Winnipeg appointed as architect. Mrs. Davies laid the cornerstone for the Brandon College Building on July 13, 1900.
The Brandon College Building was conceived as a substantial five story brick structure with a stone basement. The Tyndall Manitoba quarries, located thrity miles northeast of Winnipeg, supplied the stone and presented the College with the stone steps at the main entrance. The basement contained the dining room, kitchen, laundry, furnace room, a science laboratory, and maids' rooms. The first floor housed the reception room, office, library, four classrooms and the teachers' cloak rooms. The second floor had five classrooms, a reading room, five rooms for resident students and a resident teacher. Teachers' rooms and seventeen rooms for students comprised the third floor; and additional thirteen rooms for residents took up the fourth floor. The residence was to house 70 men. The total cost of the building and furnishings was $44,000. The Brandon College Building was ready for occupancy by October 1, 1901.
CLARK HALL
The cornerstone of Clark Hall was laid by Mrs. A.P. McDiarmid, wife of the Principal of Brandon College, on May 24, 1906. The residence was officially opened on Thanksgiving Day, October 18, of the same year. The construction of the building grew our of a demand for a ladies' college. A canvass made in Eastern Canada had resulted in subscriptions totaling $10,000. When Dr. McDiarmid reported the results of the canvass to the Chairman of the Board, Dr. C.W. Clark of Winnipeg, Clark proposed that he and his wife be allowed to provided the balance of the funds, some $30,000. While presenting the building at the opening ceremony, Clark stated that the reason for his donation was his belief in the power of cultured womanhood - he believed "that refined and Christian mothers were the strength of a nation and that he wished to see in Brandon a chool of learning for women in which every Christian virtue and grace might be illustrated."
Clark Hall was built immediately north of the Brandon College Building and was connected to it by classrooms and the iron door with its door bell, which was rung by gentlemen before being admitted. It is a five story brick building, with fittings of imported Georgia pine. In the basement was the gymnasium, studios and maids' rooms. On the main floor was a spacious reception room furnished by the Honorable A.C. Rutherford, the Premier of Alberta and the Lady Principal's suite, furnished by Mrs. N. Wolverston, wife of the treaurer of the College Board. Music studios and the offices of the resident matron were also on the main floor. The second and third floors were dormitories. The fourth floor was meant to be art studios, but due to registration demands, it was divided into students' rooms. The residence was designed to house fifty students and seven teachers. Piano practice areas were also designated on the west side of the building and on the groundlevel half way between the basement and the first floor.
BRANDON COLLEGE BUILDING AND CLARK HALL RESTORATION PROJECT
By the early 1990s, it was clear that major reconstruction work on the Brandon College Building and Clark Hall was necessary if the buildings were to remain in use. The alternative was to demolish both buildings and construct a new central administrative structure for the campus. Because of the historic character of the two original campus buildings, the decision was taken to mount a complete restoration of the structures that involved a complete removal of everything except for the surrounding brick fascade and the construction of new buildings within the old external walls. This project was financed by the Provincial government of Manitoba, who granted the University approximatley 10 million dollars. The Chief Architect for the restoration was George Cibinal. Work began in 1996 and was completed by the fall of 1997. In addition to the restoration of the Brandon College Building and Clark Hall, a new entrance was built on the west side of the buildings, as well as an addition to Clark Hall, which included a skywalk connecting it to the A.E. McKenzie Building.
Scope and Content
Sub-series consists of photographs of the Brandon College Building and Clark Hall.
Notes
History/Bio information was taken from Brandon College: A History, 1899-1967 by C.G. Stone and F. Joan Garnett (Brandon, Manitoba: Brandon University, 1969), chapters 2 and 3. Tom Mitchell provided history/bio information on the restoration project.
See MG 1 Brandon College Teaching and Administration, 1.11 Martin Johns fonds for custodial history.
Scope and Content
Photograph is looking northwest from 18th Street and shows the Brandon College Building and Clark Hall. There are a number of handmade election signs on the buildings.
See MG 1 Brandon College Teaching and Administration, 1.11 Martin Johns fonds for custodial history.
Scope and Content
Photograph is looking southwest from 18th Street and shows Clark Hall and the Brandon College Building with the Citizens' Science Building partially visible on the lefthand side of the photo.
Notes
Writing on the back of the photo reads: "Brandon College and boys' res. is joined to Clark Hall" "from Marion(?)/Marvin(?) McLure(?)"
Photograph of a landscape of the Brandon College campus - showing the Brandon College Building, Clark Hall and part of the Citizens' Science Building - presented to the College by the Class of 1960.
These eleven keys were used to open various locks in Clark Hall and the Brandon College Building prior to the restoration of those buildings in 1995-1996. Seven of the keys are labelled and range in size from 4.5 cm to 6 cm. Some are silver, others are gold in colour. They include: Room 118, Clark Hall; D.R. MacKay's Secretary - File cab.; South Entrance 2nd CL; S. door hallway; Storage Room Clark Hall 4th floor; Rm #3 HK277; and Personnel Office. The remaining 4 keys are all silver and vary in size from 3.5 cm to 6 cm.
Notes
Part of BU 16.3 Artifacts - other.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series16: Brandon University/College artifacts
16.3 Artifacts - other
Box 2
Item is a pen and ink drawing of the Brandon College Building and Clark Hall by Brandon artist Doug Brolund to be used by the University in its "Building for Strength" campaign. A card attached to the print said: "Building from Strength compliments of John R. Mallea and L.D. Whitehead."
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series16: Brandon University/College artifacts
16.3 Artifacts - other
Photograph is looking northwest probably from the John R. Brodie Science Centre and shows the Citzens' Science Building, the Brandon College Building, Clark Hall and a portion of the driveway and grounds in front of the buildings.
Photograph of a proposed model for the Brandon College and Clark Hall renovations. Model shows the courtyard, the link, the skywalk and the new rear entrance.
Photograph of a proposed model for the Brandon College and Clark Hall renovations. Model shows the link, the skywalk, the A.E. McKenzie Building and part of the George T. Richardson Centre.
Photograph of a proposed model for the Brandon College and Clark Hall renovations. Photograph is looking down on the model, which shows the link, the skywalk, west side of Clark Hall and the Original Building and the courtyard.
Photograph is looking northeast from the south side of Louise Avenue and shows portions of Darrach Hall, Flora Cowan Hall and McMaster Hall. Part of the John R. Brodie Science Centre is also visible behind the trees along the street.
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