Front page and special edition insert from the MRU journalism program paper, Journal 3009, announcing the opening of the Lincoln Park campus. Journal 3009 - November 17th, 1972
The new Lincoln Park Campus opened on November 17th, 1972 with great fanfare and eager anticipation from Mount Royal and the local community. The opening consisted of an official ceremony presided over by Lieutenant Governor Grant McEwan, as well as three full days of activities. Events included an open house, basketball and hockey games, performances by the Calgary Youth Orchestra and Reader's Theatre, a ball hosted by the Student's Association, and the dedication of the Kerby Memorial Carillon Tower and the John H. Garden Meditation Centre.
Program for the official opening of Lincoln Park. T432
Schedule of events. T432
The completed campus consisted of over 60,000 square meters of total space, 33,372 meters of which were designated as 'usable space' which included classrooms, offices, and food services. The rest of the campus was designed as 'flexible space' in the form of wide hallways, spacious stairwells, informal meeting and event spaces, and large multipurpose rooms that could be subdivided with partitions. Flexibility and openness were the primary concepts evident in the design of interior spaces. Traditional classroom space was kept to a minimum in order to fit the Leggett model of instruction. Even faculty and staff offices were designed to be versatile. Faculty and staff worked from clusters of desks attached to movable partitions, with administrators located in glass-encased bullpen style offices. Even the office of the Vice-President of Instruction was temporarily located in the library in an open concept group of desks surrounded by secretaries and assistants. The intention was to ensure that there were plenty of opportunities for students and faculty to interact, and to make staff as accessible as possible.
Multipurpose science laboratory. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
Broadcasting student television studio. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
Some specialized spaces to support specific programs were unavoidable, but the prioritization of flexibility was retained. Specialized spaces included a large multipurpose laboratory that could be rearranged for different needs and class sizes, with access to the laboratory restricted for safety, but shared by all the science programs. Broadcasting students had use of a technologically-advanced television studio and two radio studios. Additionally, Conservatory students could access 37 soundproof practice and instruction spaces, which were built along the hallway of the third floor. The third floor also housed the specialized Interior Design Studio which was the largest single classroom in the building.
Floor maps showing important location on all three levels of the new campus building. T083 - This is Mount Royal: Lincoln Park'
The number and capacity of instructional, performance, athletic, and student spaces were all far greater than those on the old downtown campus. The Ford and Jenkins Theatres could double as lecture and performance spaces and each seated over 200 people. The Wright and Leacock Theatres provided much-needed dedicated performances spaces for Conservatory students and seated 567 people collectively.
The Ford Theatre viewed from the balcony. The theatre had a built-in PA system, large projection screen, and spot lighting capabilities. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
Named after local composer and long-time Mount Royal Conservatory instructor Leonard Leacock, the Leacock Theatre was praised for its impeccable acoustics. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
The Wright Theater was designed to be rearranged to support a variety of theatrical productions and was considered the finest drama teaching facility in western Canada. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
The Jenkins Theatre was equipped with specialized audiovisual equipment including a 16mm film projector, slide projector, and PA system. It also had a dressing room behind the stage suitable for smaller theatrical productions. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
A typical Lincoln Park classroom. Note the partition on tracks in the middle of the room which could be moved to increase or decrease the room capacity. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
A separate building for the Students' Association never made it into the final plans for campus, however, a generous portion of the new building was set aside for students and management by the Students' Association. The Forum and the Rathskeller pub, located at the center of campus, were designed to provide a centre for student recreational activities. The Forum was a large open space that could seat up to 450 people at tables, or over 1000 people at standing room events. The Forum could also be partitioned off into four theatre-style rooms and was frequently used for dances, concerts, receptions, movie nights, and banquets. The Rathskeller, the student pub, could seat up to 175 people and was modeled after a German beer hall. The space was often used for student concerts, club activities, and cabarets. The Students' Association also ran several businesses and spaces on campus including the information center, collegiate shop, billiards hall, games room, fireside lounge, student art gallery, daycare center, and nap rooms.
The Daycare Centre offered childcare services with fees on a sliding scale based on income. The Centre was sponsored by the Student's Association with financial support from the City of Calgary and the provincial government. The Centre offered a much-appreciated service for single and low income parents. T056 - Survival 74-75
Student Association Art Gallery. Located on the first level, this was a space for students to display and sell their art. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
Children playing in the Daycare Centre. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
Fireside lounge located in the upper level of the Forum. This space was marketed as an 'intimate' location for small parties and informal classes. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
The Rathskeller became Mount Royal's first campus bar. Students welcomed the bar enthusiastically, leading the campus to quickly implement some policies on liquor consumption and noise levels for the space. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
The Forum was the main location for student socialization. Unfortunately, there were some problems with the open concept and central location causing noise and learning disruptions. T056 - Student Association Handbook
The billiards hall also contained a ping pong table and arcade games for student recreation. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
Whereas the old campus only had a single overcrowded cafeteria and a small snack bar, the Lincoln Park Campus offered many dining options for students and employees. Faculty had their own dining hall on the third floor, and there was a general purpose dining hall for events and meetings. Students could use the cafeteria or one of the smaller restaurants scattered around campus, including the Dairy Bar (which served sandwiches, fruit, and dairy snacks), the Soup Kettle (varieties of soup served from large double boilers), Pancake House (hot short order meals and breakfast), and the Pizza Place (pizza, fish and chips, and beverages). Regardless of location, most campus food was prepared in a large main cafeteria kitchen and ranged in price from $3 to $7 per meal.
Initial menu for the Pancake House, 1972. T432 - New Campus Flambert and Flambert Inc.
Student explain the best places to eat on campus. T056 - Survival 1974-75
Example of some of the more elaborate dishes prepared by campus kitchens. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
Cafeteria kitchen and staff. T483 - MRC Interior with people - JBP 26-26
Seating area at the Pancake House. T483 - MRC Interior with People - JBP 26-27
The Food Services department won the 'Best Overall Design' award from the Institutions Award Program in Volume Feeding Magazine in 1973. T083 - This is Mount Royal Campus
The gymnasium at the old campus was built in 1949, and so was well over-capacity by the 1970s, sometimes accommodating over three times its capacity limit. The Lincoln Park Campus addressed this shortfall with two large gymnasiums, the Auxiliary Gym and Stanley Gym, as well as a swimming pool, wrestling pit, tennis courts, and several large outdoor playing fields. Activities that had not been possible at the old college such as karate, judo, aikido, and gymnastics became popular recreational activities. The Auxiliary Gym provided students with an archery range and the only Kleiter-Garten wall in Canada, which was used to teach rock climbing. The seminar pits, free-use areas located between floors, were frequently used to promote recreation though wrestling and martial arts demonstrations.
Lincoln Park also had a large craft studio where students could engage in woodworking, ceramics, pottery, metal work, and lapidary arts. Fine arts had been long been a part of the curriculum at the old campus, but Lincoln Park offered state of the art facilities and much-expanded capacity. Best of all, use of the studio was not connected to a specific program so anyone could use the tools and materials.
Page promoting student recreation options. T056 - Survival 74-75
The pool was 1/2 Olympic size with a corner reserved for water polo. The unique ceiling was a cutting edge sound absorption system to reduce echo. 0001-02-17 - Joel Barrett fonds
Lincoln Park and the old campus both had gymnasiums named after George Stanley, a long-term chairman of the Board of Governors. T483 - MRC Interior - JBP 24-16
Students taking advantage of the Craft Studio to paint, weave, and make pottery. T484 - Handbook photos
The move to the Lincoln Park Campus was a major development in the history of Mount Royal College, but in many ways was a gamble for the institution. Mount Royal left its downtown community where it had established deep roots over decades of hard work. It strove to construct a campus that would be technologically advanced, architecturally modern, and flexible enough to accommodate a growing student population and evolving programs for decades to come. And at the same time, the college experimented with a new education model and learning style that put students at the forefront of their own education. As some of the initial excitement of the new campus passed, it became clear that Mount Royal would have to work to reestablish itself as a community builder and stay adaptable in order to meet the challenges posed by such an ambitious redesign. Despite this, Lincoln Park granted Mount Royal the freedom to expand, experiment, and explore new educational frontiers.
To learn more about the history of Mount Royal University, please visit the Archives and Special Collections on the 4th floor of the Riddell Library and Learning Centre.