Wilson Hall construction to begin in October

Wilson Exterior

An artist's rendering of L.R. Wilson Hall, located at the site of the former Wentworth House. Construction will begin on the building in October.


Progress continues as the University builds L.R Wilson Hall, McMaster’s future home for the liberal arts.

Since spring, the former site of Wentworth House has been readied for construction of the new building. The contractor, Bondfield Construction, has been busy establishing a temporary power source and setting up various pieces of equipment.

“By October, the campus community can expect more activity at the site,” said project manager Carlos Midence. “The University has been actively planning for this project and a complete traffic management and pedestrian safety plan is in effect.”

Students, staff and the campus community will notice increased activity near the Sterling Street entrance and in front of the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery (MDCL).

“The project site has been purposefully situated to minimize impact on students, faculty and staff,” said Midence. “But we encourage everyone to be aware of their surroundings as they travel in this area.”

The service road between Divinity College and the Wilson Hall site will be closed to vehicular traffic during construction, and all truck traffic will be stopped for 10 minutes each hour as students move between classes. The short-term parking “cellphone lot” adjacent to Divinity College has also been closed, and the search for a new location is underway.

“Pedestrian safety is our biggest priority,” said Terry Sullivan, director, Security & Parking Services. “We want to reduce the overall amount of traffic in the area, especially with a large number of students coming in and out of MDCL.”

Once opened in September, 2015, L.R. Wilson Hall will become the new home for the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences at McMaster. The building will feature a variety of teaching and learning spaces, including a 400-seat lecture theatre, two-100 seat classrooms and a number of small classrooms.

The facility will also house significant liberal arts research centres such as the Wilson Institute for Canadian History and the Gilbrea Centre for Health and Aging. McMaster’s Indigenous Studies program and indigenous student support offices will be located there.

L.R. Wilson Hall will also be home to new performing arts spaces including a 350-seat concert hall and the unique “Black Box” theatre that provides a multipurpose space for music, dance and spoken word productions.

The project is possible through a $45.5-million investment from the province of Ontario and a $10-million gift from McMaster’s former Chancellor, L.R. Wilson.

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