Athabasca Hall (Saskatoon) | university, dormitory

 university, dormitory

“The claim is that the residence helps to turn out a student with a better all-round education, and it would seem that the bigger the university the more important become the residences.” - Draft Requirement Study, Saskatchewan Hall Addition

Originally conceived as an addition to Saskatchewan Hall, Athabasca Hall was intended to add space for 270 students, in 90 double and 90 single units grouped into four “houses.” Each “house” was to have its own lounge, tutor and don; each bedroom was to have built in bookcases and cupboards but moveable beds, desks and chairs, “enabling students to arrange their rooms according to personal preference.”

The Cumberland Avenue entrance to the campus was permanently closed on 26 March 1963 to accommodate the eastern expansion of the residences.

Athabasca Hall was designed by Moody & Moore, and completed in 1964 at a cost of $1,393,050.

Despite the additional space provided through this, and the Qu’Appelle Hall addition, by 1967 with Saskatoon then the third-fastest growing city in Canada and occupancy rates for suites of 99%, campus administrators began planning the McEown Park Complex.