Morrison Hall will become the first new residence for University College in the past 50 years thanks to a $6 million donation from a couple of alumni.
Named after U of T graduates Russell and Katherine Morrison, groundbreaking for the project took place last Wednesday.
“The importance of building Morrison Hall cannot be overemphasized. This is the most ambitious and exciting project that UC has undertaken since it was rebuilt in 1890-92 after it was destroyed by fire,” says UC Principal Paul Perron. “Morrison Hall will accommodate 270 students and provide them with the means to create a community where they can establish lifelong friendships and deepen their academic pursuits,” he added.
With a tentative opening date scheduled for January 2005-with the certainty of being ready for the September 2005 academic year-Morrison Hall will be able to provide housing for 270 undergraduate students. As of right now, University College houses the lowest percentage of students in comparison to U of T’s other colleges. While others such as St. Mike’s, Trinity, and Victoria have 20-40 per cent of its students in residence, only a limited 10 per cent of UC students are being accommodated for on-campus housing.
After careful planning, Morrison Hall, designed by Zeidler Partnership Architects, is to be built between University College’s two other residences: Whitney Hall and Sir Daniel Wilson. Running east to west between St. George Street and the back campus will be a three-storey podium, along with a 13-storey tower attached to its west end. Students will be housed in a dormitory-style residence with single rooms. With curiosity of what is to become of the kitchen and the Howard Ferguson Dining Hall, the decision has been made to demolish the kitchen and to replace it with a more functional and contemporary design. While the kitchen will go through renovations, the Howard Ferguson Dining Hall will remain.
Overall, the cost of Morrison Hall is approximately $24-25 million. According to Alec Kaminsky, the Senior Development Officer of University College, the college did not receive any funding from the government. Therefore, the residence project was completely dependent on private fundraising, where many U of T alumni and graduates such as Russell and Katherine Morrison were more than happy to be of support.
When asked to give a statement about their charitable donation of $6 million, the Morrisons stated: “We see this project as an opportunity to invest in students as they strive to develop their talents for educated and productive living.” In fact, the couple is very involved with U of T as financial supporters. Besides Morrison Hall, the couple also brought forth the Morrison Pavilion, the latest addition to the Gerstein Science Information Centre. The addition of the Morrison Pavilion has given a new study environment to students through doubling the study space.
Just as the Morrison Pavilion contributed to a better studying environment for the students, Morrison Hall will have the same result; another new setting that will bring students the experiences and interaction that will help them develop friendships and achieve their academic endeavours.
