Grant Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grant Hall is the most recognizable landmark on the campus of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is located on University Avenue, just north of Bader Lane.
It was built by the Queen's student government to honour the legacy of then-Principal George Munro Grant. It has stood for over a century as a symbol of the university. To students, it represents tradition, pride, and the Queen's spirit. Many ceremonial events, plays, and concerts take place in Grant Hall. As it is mainly a convocation hall, classes rarely take place within its walls, although it is used for exams.
For a time during World War I it was also used as a military hospital.
[edit] History
Originally, the plan was to name the new convocation hall "Frontenac Hall", for Queen's had appealed to the citizens of Frontenac County for a gift of funds for a new building. They had reason to expect success, especially in light of the fact that the Ontario and Kingston governments had made pledges: funds which resulted in Ontario and Kingston Halls respectively. The citizens of Frontenac County voted overwhelmingly against the idea, however, and things looked grim, for no alternate source of funds was in sight.
There has been much speculation on why Frontenac refused to fund the building. One theory states that it was simply too much to ask, as Frontenac was not a rich county and populated mostly by farmers. The other theory is that the refusal was the result of a grudge: the leading citizens of Frontenac were strong supporters of the idea of prohibition, and Principal Grant was not. He had spoken out publicly against the idea, feeling it was impractical, and some say the people of Frontenac never forgave him.
In the end it was the students, led by the AMS President James Wallace, that stepped forward and informed the Trustees that they intended to raise the money themselves, but were planning on calling the building Grant Hall. Principal Grant objected at first, saying that the hall should keep its original name, but the students replied smartly that if they were to find the funds, surely they could name it whatever they liked. Grant accepted the honour with a modest delight, and the campaign began. The students, over the winter of 1901-1902, raised the $35,000 needed for the hall. They collected money from alumni and friends of Queen's, using the respect and love that Grant inspired in the Queen's community to motivate people to contribute to his monument. One third of the money came from the students themselves, many of whom lived on the poverty line. Students used their scholarship money, took odd jobs around the town, and committed themselves to ten-year subscriptions to come up with the needed funds.
This spectacular achievement was overshadowed by the sadness of Grant's death in May of 1902. The tribute to him had become a memorial before the first stone was laid. When completed in 1905, however, it was the pride of the campus. Grant Hall was instantly a symbol of Queen's, just as Grant had been. The original clock tower was designed and built by hand by the Dean of Practical Science Nathan Fellowes Dupuis, and when it ceased to work in 1993, a new one was installed and - like the building itself - paid for by the students.
