A Guide to University Architecture

I stumbled across this hilarious guide to contemporary university architecture [click image to enlarge] and couldn't help but think about the examples here on the campus of my alma mater and work place, Queen's.  Considering I will be leading campus tours for the official Spring Reunion weekend later this month, this guide will no doubt be at the back of my mind. Click on the following building names to see a few Queen's examples of the differing styles:

Red Brick Wonderland: Agnes Etherington House
Actually, there's very little red brick at Queen's as our medium of choice is grey limestone. This Georgian-style beauty (circa 1879) is the historical wing of our campus art gallery. 

Gothic Envyist: Gordon Hall, Douglas Library
Gordon Hall (1911) was recently restored to its original design, after an ugly 1960s reno to its fourth storey. Opened in 1924 Douglas Library features all the Oxbridge elements that colleges in the New World were wanting to ape: stone, arched windows, finials, and a tower. 

Completed in 1969, these buildings are blights on an otherwise gorgeous campus, the latter being so shockingly ugly that it makes the fact that it is the home of the Psychology department bring fits of laughter. 

Modernist "It Cost HOW Much?": Chernoff Hall and Stauffer Library
Chernoff Hall is a 12,000 sq/m Chemistry complex, built at a cost of $57-million. Covering over 5 acres in area, with some 50kms of shelving, Stauffer Library opened in 1997 at a cost of $42-million. 

The Campus Tower: Grant Hall
Completed in 1905, with monies raised primarily by students, Grant Hall's distinctive clock tower graces the campus with its dignified presence.  

Window details--Gothic: Douglas Library

Window Details--Romanesque: Ontario Hall and  Theological Hall







Comments

Post a Comment