Ceremonial beam signing an important milestone in Wilson Hall construction

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Chancellor Emeritus Lynton 'Red' Wilson signs a beam destined for the top of the building that will bear his name.


Chancellor Emeritus Lynton “Red” Wilson, his wife Brenda and MPP Ted McMeekin joined representatives from McMaster and the Wilson Foundation in the ceremonial signing of a beam at the future home of L.R. Wilson Hall recently.

The group, along with Ken Cruikshank (Dean of Humanities), Jeremiah Hurley (Dean of Social Sciences), Ehima Osazuwa (McMaster Students Union President), Mary Williams (VP of University Advancement) and Peter Sharpe (President of the Wilson Foundation) left messages of thanks on a beam that will be placed near the top of L.R. Wilson Hall.

“The excitement on campus is growing, especially among students,” says Hurley.

“We are so thankful for Red and Brenda’s generous support of the liberal arts at McMaster and are looking forward to seeing what students and researchers will be able to accomplish in their new home,” says Cruikshank.

When open, the building will offer exciting new spaces and active learning classrooms for students and faculty in Humanities and Social Sciences.

It will feature a variety of teaching and learning spaces, including a 400-seat lecture theatre, two 100-seat classrooms and a number of smaller 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 $45.5M investment from the province of Ontario and a $10M gift from Wilson.

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