Athabasca Hall - The University's First BuildingPart IV: Athabasca Hall Annex 1914-1998

When Athabasca Hall opened in 1911, it provided accommodation for nearly all the University's faculty, staff and students.

Athabasca Hall, 1911

Athabasca Hall also housed all of the University facilities, including a kitchen on the first floor.

Athabasca Hall

As the student population increased with the construction of Assiniboia Hall in 1912 and Pembina Hall in 1914, an addition behind Athabasca Hall was built in 1914 to provide dining facilities for all three residences.

Pembina, Athabasca and Assiniboia Halls

This addition to Athabasca Hall, known as the Annex, was located on the present site of the Computing Science Centre.

Athabasca Hall Annex, 1929

The Annex consisted of a kitchen, a large dining hall and a small gymnasium.

Athabasca Hall Dining Room(F.G. Bowers Collection, Accession # 82-155-77)

This space was also used for examinations, dances, teas and Sunday morning church services.

Athabasca Hall Dining Room - Egyptian Motif, 1921(Accession # 69-97-783)

One graduate of the mid 1920s said many years later that the "cost of room and three good nourishing meals daily plus room maid service was forty dollars a month".

Athabasca Hall Dining Room - Egyptian Motif, 1921(Accession # 69-97-784)

A contemporary report on the food referred to "a delightful sameness about [the food] day after day, Irish stew and pie".

Athabasca Hall Kitchen(F.G. Bowers Collection, Accession # 82-155-79)

The following anecdote was provided by the 1921 President of the Students' Union, H. R. "Tubby Thornton:

Athabasca Hall Cooks, March 1941 (Accession # 72-58-424A)

“For breakfast you could appear in sweater and slippers; for lunch you had to look half decent; but dinner was formal, and you had to be properly dressed.

Athabasca Hall Dining Room(F.G. Bowers Collection, Accession # 82-155-81)

Every student had his place and stood until the grace had been said.

Dining Room and doors leading to Heritage Lounge, 1923(Accession # 69-97-308)

Dr. MacEachran, the Provost, sat at the head of the staff table (which incidentally was in the northwest corner, closest to the kitchen) and intoned the University's Latin grace through his ill-fitting false teeth.

Athabasca Hall Dining Room, December 1926(Accession # 69-97-619)

The students couldn't hear what he was mumbling, so we timed how long it took to say the grace itself.

Athabasca Hall Dining Room, 1921 (Accession # 69-97-326)

Then all the students would sit down at the right moment without having heard a word.”

Conference Dinner, 1923 (Accession # 69-97-306)

The University's grace in Latin:

"Hoc convivio firmati, praecepto nostrae universitatis parentes, constantius sequamur quaecumque vera.”

In English, this translates to:

"Refreshed by this meal and fellowship, obeying the precepts of this our university, let us pursue whatsoever things are true."

After graduation, Thornton obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and returned to the University of Alberta as the first professor in what was then the Department of Dairying.

From 1941 to 1946 the three residence halls as well as Corbett Hall were taken over by the Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Athabasca Hall, 1946

About 1200 men were housed and fed in two shifts, cafeteria-style, in the Athabasca Hall dining room.

Athabasca Hall Dining Room, 1940-1944 (Accession # 72-58-479)

In 1964 the first two residences for undergraduate students, Alexander Mackenzie and Anthony Henday, and a large dining hall named Lister Hall were opened.

Vacated Athabasca Hall Dining Room

The Annex ceased to be used as a dining hall but continued to be used as a gymnasium and for other purposes.

Former Athabasca Hall Dining Room, converted to a Gymnasium

The Department of Entomology, which was in the Agriculture Building, was given additional space in the Annex from 1965 until 1983 and again from 1985 to 1987.

Athabasca Hall Annex, 1998

In May 1996, the Facilities Development Committee gave approval for the Department of Computing Science to move to the first and third floors of Athabasca Hall as space became available.

Athabasca Hall Annex, 1998

As well as planning the move to Athabasca Hall the Department began to consider how to best use the space in the Annex.

Athabasca Hall Annex, 1998

Exterior view of the Athabasca Hall Annex Windows

Interior view of the Athabasca Hall Annex Windows

Early in 1997, several members of the Department visited the relatively new computing facilities at the three major universities in British Columbia.

Ceiling of the former Dining Room, 1998

They subsequently recommended the Annex be demolished and replaced by a modern computing laboratory.

Athabasca Hall Annex, 1998

Demolition of the Annex began in August 1998 and was completed a few months later at a cost of about 200,000 dollars.

Demolition of the former Athabasca Hall Dining Room, 1998

Although not much in the building was worth salvaging, the windows were removed and stored at the University Farm.

Demolition of the former Athabasca Hall Dining Room, 1998

The site stood empty for about six months while bids for the construction of the new Computing Science Centre were received.

Former Athabasca Hall Annex site

Slide show by:

Rob Lake (Office of the Provost and VP Academic)

Text by:

Keith Smillie (Computing Science)

Rob Lake (Office of the Provost and VP Academic)

Thanks to:

Jim Franks (University Archives)

Jodeen Litwin (Alumni Affairs)

Tashie Macapagal (Office of the Provost)

Rick Pilger (Alumni Affairs)

Steve Sutphen (Computing Science)

Kevan Warner (University Archives)