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John Abbott College

"I remember when..."

 

Pictures taken in 2010 around the campus where changes have occurred, or memories are of differences: 

Driving up from the Lakeshore, do you remember what this used to be?

Once upon a time, this was the Infirmary of Macdonald College, then for both Mac and John Abbott College.

Later it became the home of Continuing Education for JAC.

Now, it is the Dental Hygiene Clinic, John Abbott College.
Notice the old shield in the cement?

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This site is gone.  There used to be a green house here attached to the hallway between Main Building and Biology in the Macdonald era.

The green house was removed and just the door remained.  Now the door is gone from the east side of the hallway to Hochelega Building.

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Before the doors and windows, the wind blew through here on February blustery days.  The  passage linking Stewart to Main became known as the "Arctic Circle."

  

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The old Biology Building became Hochelaga.

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Laird Hall Residence was home to several JAC departments in the later 1970s; and reverted back to a Mac residence in the early 1980s. 

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Seems like there is always something being renovated, removed or created on campus.

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Behind Herzberg, between the Library and Penfield were a couple of portable classrooms.

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Formal front door entrance to Chemistry in the Mac era is infrequently used by those now calling it Penfield by JAC staff and students.

note the fancy scroll work at the very top

between Penfielf and Casgrain

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To the west of Main/Herzberg with Macdonald High School in the background.

Remember when the administration offices were at 13 Maple.  One needed to go on a small hike to find the Director General, the Academic Dean, and a few other senior officials.  Not a pleasant journey from Laird on a rainy or sub-zero, snowy day. 

The computer centre was next door at 15 Maple.

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Infamous Brittain Hall!

Extra classroom space.

Men's dorm.  Pool.  Gym.

The Oval Coffee House in the basement just to the east side on the left

Brittain Annex hidden behind the trees on the right had classroom space.

Brittain Hall - across the Oval from the Main Building/Herzberg

View around the south/back side by the gym and there was a pool in the basement.

Building closed.  No money from Quebec to renovate when JAC was expanding.
Eventually McGill was willing to sell it but a much too high a price. 

More interesting scroll work above some of the upper windows.

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Looking south from the main buildings towards the lake and Glennaladale Building.

JAC used to have a Food Service Program.  Glennaladale was its home.  Friday lunches prepared and served by the students - delicious aromas.  Facilities, Personnel, Financial Services and others also shared Glennaladale.

Vicky Shipton, Secretary General, would host the annual Strawberry Festival on the veranda in June.

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The old Main Building of Macdonald College is now the Herzberg Building of John Abbott College.

Were you there when the copula fell to the ground - landing on the driveway - missing cars and students?

Months to repair; eventually reinstalled as the iconic symbol of John Abbott College.

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Linking Main/Herzberg to Stewart Hall was the "Arctic Circle" which until the mid-70s had no windows nor doors.  The cold winter breezes would blow their chills up and down those scampering between the dorm/cafeteria and classes.









Until the later 1970s, vehicular traffic was flowing through the centre of the Artic Circle challenging the safety of students on the run between buildings.  There were about 3 steps down to the road level on each side.  Students late for class and racing to beat the cold were not always watching out for traffic here.  Drivers often could not see students until they were right upon them.

 
For everyone's safety, the Arctic Circle roadway was closed; barriers installed.  Later, doors and windows were added.  Still a cold "Arctic Circle."  Forced air heaters were included.  Still a nippy run on 20 below days in January/February.  The name has lasted through the years since.

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Balcony on the west side of Stewart Hall facing the Oval.

There is part of Stewart Hall that juts out towards the Oval not far from the steps that lead up to the entrance close to the Book Store and Cafeteria.  On the Oval side of the balcony, here, there is some scroll work.

 Access to the balcony is through what is now the Board Room [across from the cafeteria in Stewart Hall].  

Before renovations, the Board Room used to be the Staff Lounge which was famous for its Staff Fridays.  Many a beer was consumed here.







On those not-too-cold Fridays many staff would congregate for fresh air or a cigarette break on the steps leading out to the Oval.  Over the years a few of the Staff Friday regulars managed to scratch their presence into the walls of the college.  Look closely in the following two photos.

S.F.O.T.S.

Staff Friday On The Steps

  

Several initials, years, etc. have been included.

I'll bet that you never even noticed the scratching; and if you did, that you didn't know what it was all about, unless you were one of the staff back in the earlier days of the college's history.

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An old Macdonald College tradition required that only graduates could walk on The Oval, and only on Graduation Day.  When JAC students came on campus they were unaware of this long standing practice.  Another MAC tradition was for the guys in Brittain Hall Residence to stand on the steps of Brittain and pitch eggs at anyone venturing onto The Oval.

view from Main/Hertzberg across The Oval towards Brittain Hall Residence

When I came to John Abbott College in 1976 Physical Education was not a compulsory part of the college curriculum, largely because there were few facilities available.

Where the Casgrain Building now stands there used to be a field to the west of the Oval.  During baseball season one could join in and play staff softball here.  When construction for the building started, play was moved to École secondaire Saint-Georges about a mile away.

Before the Casgrain Building there used to be a field where staff softball was played. 

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Stewart Hall - main entrance

Stewart Hall used to be the women's residence of Macdonald College.  When there was no money from the province to cover the costs of renovating both Brittain Hall [men's residence] and Stewart Hall [women's residence] John Abbott College took over the building and decided to renovate and create the Stewart Apartments to accommodate both male and female students.

more fancy scroll work

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Before the brown "wall" there used to be an opening here, and also to the opposite side.  Exiting the east end of Main/Hertzberg one could turn left or right, go down the three steps and follow a walkway douth to the Oval or north towards the main entrance of Bioloy/Hochelaga.  With the closing of the "Arctic Circle" to the elements, these openings were also closed off.

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Once upon a time there was a roadway from the Lakeshore north to the bridge over the railway tracks and highway 20.  It ran just to the east of Centennial - Macdonald's Student Union Building.

Mac added the pave pathway, light standards, football posts and terrace with picnic tables over the years.

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Those who taught or attended classes in Barton Barn in the 1970's wouldn't recognized it now.  Mac has carried out extensive renovations long after JAC last used the building.

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In days gone by one could freely come and go through the various greenhouses on campus.  Not so lucky anymore.

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Looking to the front of Hochelaga from the west side of Laird Hall.

 

Looking south with Laird to the left and Hochelaga to the right [both just out of the photo] towards the backside of Stewart Hall.  This busy roadway used to have parking on the west side.  Yep - traffic was 2-way but with parking, driving was hazardous, especially with thousands of Mac & JAC students and staff going from building to building past this intersection.

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The stairs are long gone.  A ramp makes access from the Arctic Cirlce into Stewart wheel chair accessible.  Automatic doors help, too.

Going into Stewart here used to be like running an obstacle course with many students using the radiator ledge as lounge space.  For many years this area was referred to as "vegge ledge" - a favourite smoking area in the day.

Through this door one would enter the Staff Lounge.  Ah, the Staff Friday parties!

Going through the Arctic Circle from Stewart towards Herzberg.  Windows and doors make it warmer in winter and the air conditioning cooler in summer.  Gone are the weather extremes.  With vehicle traffic halted, the floor leveled and tiled, going from dorm/cafeteria to class is no longer a major chore.

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Steps to "nowhere" in Main/Herz/berg.

Looking back to the Arctic Circle.  It is hard to imagine that traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, used travel through here.

Front of Brittain Hall - Men's residence - closed for many years.

More fancy scroll work.

 

A side door into Brittain Hall Annex for staff and students to access classrooms, gym, pool and teacher offices without going through the residence section.

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Looking east through the walkway in front of the Agora which was added to join Casgrain and Herzberg.

Before the Agora, Herzberg ended here.  There were stairs leading out of the building down to a paved walkway.