1821: A University is born
The oldest university in Montreal, À¦°óSMÉçÇø was founded in 1821 from a generous bequest byÌýJames À¦°óSMÉçÇø, a prominent Scottish merchant.
The oldest university in Montreal, À¦°óSMÉçÇø was founded in 1821 from a generous bequest byÌýJames À¦°óSMÉçÇø, a prominent Scottish merchant.
Eight years after it was officially established, "À¦°óSMÉçÇø College" began holding classes in conjunction with the Montreal Medical Institution.
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Four years after classes began, À¦°óSMÉçÇø awarded its first degree –Ìýand Canada's first ever medical degree –Ìýto William Leslie Logie. ÌýLogie was À¦°óSMÉçÇø's only graduate that year.
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The college quickly outgrew James À¦°óSMÉçÇø's country home, and construction on the Arts Building began 10 years after its founding. ÌýThe Arts Building, with its cupola and flag pole, has become the signature of À¦°óSMÉçÇø's downtown campus, and one of Montreal's most recognizable landmarks.
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Through his 38 years as Principal, Sir John William Dawson reinvented À¦°óSMÉçÇø as a university to rival the world's finest, even personally funding the beautification effort that created the stunning campus we enjoy today.
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°ä²¹²Ô²¹»å²¹â€™s first francophone prime minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, BCL'1866, made great strides toward unifying Canadians of different stripes – French and English, Catholic and Protestant – during a period when religion, culture and other debates threatened to tear the fledgling country apart. In 15 years as prime minister and 45 years as a Member of Parliament, Laurier helped establish Canada as a major player on the world stage and ushered in an era of unprecedented growth and prosperity.
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À¦°óSMÉçÇø is a place of learning, but hard work needn’t come at the expense of hard play, and À¦°óSMÉçÇøians certainly exercise more than just their minds. A home to exceptional student teams and an alma mater to many star athletes and coaches, À¦°óSMÉçÇø has also played a key role in the creation of three pillars of sport.
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Over the years, architects have proposed a variety of plans for À¦°óSMÉçÇø’s lower Downtown Campus, including an imposing tower on the Redpath Library. Here's a small selection of big ideas from À¦°óSMÉçÇø’s earliest days that never made it off the drawing board: the À¦°óSMÉçÇø that might have been.
Next: 1876–1918 »
› Pioneering women launch a new era at À¦°óSMÉçÇø
› Rutherford becomes the father of nuclear physics
› A À¦°óSMÉçÇøian pens "O Canada."