View looking northeast of Engineering Building. Cars parked on road.

View looking north of Engineering Building. Road in foreground; cars parked on road in front of building.

Looking northeast at Field Husbandry (later Crop Science) Building and Engineering Building. Two unidentified women sitting on grass in foreground; cars parked on road.

Progress shot looking northwest of construction of Engineering Building Addition. Power plant in background.

View of office of Dr. John B. Mantle, Professor of Engineering, and an unidentified Engineering faculty member, both seated at their desks. Jan Richle, office clerk, is seated at a typewriter in an adjacent room.

View of Dr. Charles D. (CD) Stewart, Professor and Head, Department of Agricultural Engineering, seated at his desk. [Jan Richle, office clerk], is seated taking notes.

Architectural sketch of first Engineering Building, looking northeast.

Bio/Historical Note: The original Engineering Building was designed to house the Agricultural Engineering Department, though it would eventually be home to the Department of Field Husbandry as well. The redbrick exterior was largely constructed during the summer of 1911 while the interior work was completed during the winter of 1911-12. The Engineering Building was designed by the original campus architects, David Brown and Hugh Vallance, and made allowances for the great variety of work within the field of agricultural engineering: the lower floor was designed for use in blacksmithing, cement work, engine construction and heavy farm machinery. The second floor contained a lecture room as well as room for woodwork, carpentry, pumps and farm-barn equipment. The third floor was devoted to a draughting room and light farm equipment. The main entrance to the building opened into the blacksmith’s forge. In 1913 a second wing was built with Brown and Vallance again serving as chief architects, as they would again in 1920. By December 1923 a final addition, designed by Saskatoon architect J. K. Verbeke, was completed by Bennett & White Construction for $8,800. At approximately 3 a.m. on the morning of Friday, 13 March 1925, a fire broke out in the north end of the building's Tractor Laboratory. In less than three hours everything but the Ceramic Lab had been completely destroyed. The fire came as a shock to many, as the entire building had been subjected to a rigorous fire inspection only a day prior to the blaze. Plans for a new Engineering Building to be constructed on the original foundation were promptly issued, and other building projects, including the long-anticipated Arts Building, were postponed.

Architectural sketch of addition to the Engineering Building, showing landscaping and sidewalks.

Bio/Historical Note: In the late 1970s the Engineering Building would go through drastic renovations. In six stages from 1977 to 1983 the entire building was completely overhauled and redesigned. It encompassed the replacement of the original portion of the single storey west wing, the removal of the Storage Building, the construction of additions, and renovations in what remained of the original building. The architectural firm responsible for this redesign was Forrester, Scott and Bowers, and the total cost of the project would eventually surpass $13 million. The reconstruction began in 1977. It included the demolition of the old central heating and power plant, the construction of additions to house the Hardy Lab and central shops, and the relocation of a small section serving the Department of Geological Sciences. The second phase included the demolition of a one-storey wing of the building which adjoined the Hardy Lab, and its replacement with a larger three-story structure. A second storey was then built over the office section of the Hardy Lab, which was also renovated. The first phase of demolition work was carried out by CEL Contracting for $136,000 while the second was performed by Roscoe Enterprises for $39,626. The majority of the reconstruction itself was performed by Cana Construction for $1,012,730.

View of the Dean of Agriculture's residence shortly after completion; winter scene.

View looking northeast of the Dean of Agriculture's residence.

Image of Frank Holroyd at a control panel for stage lighting in the Greystone Theatre.

Bio/Historical Note: Frank Holroyd was appointed instructor of Drama at the University of Saskatchewan in 1948. One year later he was promoted to assistant professor, a position he held until his retirement in 1959. Holroyd performed the technical work and was a set designer. He returned to the Drama Department as a part-time instructor after his retirement. He eventually moved to Tangiers in 1962 and died there in 1971. The workshop in the Hangar Building was named the Frank Holroyd workshop.

Walter C. Murray, University President, turns the first sod while C.J. Mackenzie and E. Kent Phillips stand on his right. A group of students look on; some have "NBC" on their shirts.

Bio/Historical Note: Prior to 1936, the University of Saskatchewan football team played its home games at Cairns Field on the corner of Avenue A (now Idylwyld Drive North) and 25th Street West. Athletic Director E.W. (Joe) Griffiths longed for a ‘‘home field’’ and had lobbied for its construction since his arrival on campus in 1919. Merits of the project were debated back and forth but little progress was made. In 1935 a student-organized bowling tournament raised $275 and kick-started the process. C.J. Mackenzie, first Dean of Engineering, next seized the initiative by organizing and chairing the U of S Stadium Fund Association. The plan was to fund construction in stages with donations from “students, graduates, faculty and well-wishing business men of the community.” Architectural plans, supplied “gratis” by faculty of the College of Engineering, envisioned a structure costing $25,000 whose final stages would include a grand entrance, bus mall, dressing rooms, showers, etc. The corner of College Street and Cumberland Avenue, site of the ill-fated 1912 City Hospital project, was chosen as the stadium location. Although tenders were initially called for, the University decided to build the project itself using primarily student labour. With the Depression showing no signs of lifting, the University saw the stadium as an opportunity to give financial aid to several students who were in danger of having to discontinue their studies. Sod was turned 17 May 1936, under the supervision of Professor A.R. Greig, Superintendent of Buildings; construction was carried out through the summer. The first stage of the original Griffiths Stadium was officially opened 3 October 1936 amid speeches, bands and a parade. In front of 2,000 fans, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies beat the Alberta Golden Bears 5-3. Decades later, the widening of College Drive and the desire for a new stadium combined to fuel construction of today’s Griffiths Stadium, a few hundred metres east of the original site. It was officially opened 23 June 1967, one month before the death of Joe Griffiths. Improvements were made in 1988 to accommodate the 1989 Jeux Canada Games.

Image looking northwest of heating plant nearing completion; landscaping in foreground not completed.

Image looking northeast of heating plant; Saskatchewan Research Council building in background.

Image of sketch done by David Brown and Hugh Vallance, architects, showing Livestock Pavilion with landscaping.

Bio/Historical Note: The Livestock Pavilion, one of the five original campus buildings, was designed by Brown and Vallance and constructed between 1910-1912. Built of red brick, slate and translucent glass panels (some of which could be opened for ventilation), it included a large show arena with seating. The Pavilion had a slaughter room and cold storage for the butchery courses. It was demolished in 1986.