When Carleton University students walk around campus, buildings surround us no matter where we turn. Almost every building on campus is named after an individual who made significant contributions to Carleton University. Here is your official crash course on all things, Carleton buildings.
- Paterson Hall
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Paterson Hall, the home of the department of history, department of philosophy, the Institute for African studies, the school of linguistics and language studies, and the college of humanities, is named after Mr. Norman Paterson. According to the Carleton website, Norman Paterson is one of Canada’s longest-serving senators in Canadian history. After being the first chancellor of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Paterson served on the Board of Directors here at Carleton. In 1965, Paterson provided Carleton University with a grant of $400,000 dollars to establish the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs — and Paterson Hall, previously built in 1958, was named after Senator Paterson. ​
- Dunton Tower
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The largest building on campus, Dunton Tower is what Carleton has become known for (just behind the tunnels, that is). The Carleton website states that the 22-storey tower is named after Carleton’s longest-serving president, A. Davidson Dunton. Dunton was the president of Carleton University from 1958 to 1972 but stepped down from his role in 1972 to be the director of Carleton’s Institute of Canadian Studies. Prior to his role as president of Carleton University, Dunton was president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Dunton Tower was built in the 1970s and was designed to create a grand presence in the quad. ​
- MacOdrum Library
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One of Carleton students’ favourite study spots on campus is the MacOdrum Library. The library was built in 1958 and was updated and expanded multiple times until 1991 when the final expansion took place. The library was dedicated to Dr. Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum. Dr. MacOdrum was the second president of Carleton University; he served from 1947 to 1955 in that position. Dr. MacOdrum believed that the heart of the university was in its library, and it’s not hard to argue that!
- Azrieli Pavilion
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The long Pavilion-shaped building located next to Tory Building and Dunton Tower and stretched along Library Road is named after David J. Azrieli. Mr. Azrieli was a Canadian real estate tycoon, architect, and philanthropist. In 2013, he was ranked the ninth wealthiest Canadian according to Forbes. He made a sizeable donation to Carleton that allowed it to establish the David J. Azrieli Pavilion and the David Azrieli Institute for Graduate Studies in Architecture. ​
- Tory Building
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The Tory building was the first structure to be built on the new Rideau River Campus in 1959. As named on the Carleton history page, the building was named after the first president of Carleton College (Carleton University’s predecessor), Henry Marshall Tory. President Tory was president of Carleton College from 1942 to 1947. The Tory Building is home to many classrooms, study spaces, and university services. If only President Tory could see Carleton today…
As Carleton students, we are so lucky to have such a beautiful campus and such marvellous buildings to work in. The charming architecture almost makes up for all of the long, hard days we spend inside them (when we aren’t in a global pandemic)!