{"id":3151,"date":"2019-04-08T10:05:02","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T14:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.library.mcgill.ca\/islamicstudieslibrary\/?page_id=3151"},"modified":"2019-07-05T12:30:39","modified_gmt":"2019-07-05T16:30:39","slug":"morrice-hall","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.mcgill.ca\/islamicstudieslibrary\/morrice-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"If Walls Could Speak: The History of Morrice Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

INTRODUCTION | FOUNDATION (1865-1873)<\/a> | EXPANSION (1874-1882)<\/a> | INTERRUPTION (1918-1946)<\/a> | DEMOLITION & RENOVATION (1961-1983)<\/a><\/p>\n

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Stained Glass, Morrice Hall. Lauren Goldman, 2017.<\/p><\/div>\n

Morrice Hall<\/a> currently home to McGill\u2019s Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS)<\/a>, Islamic Studies Library (ISL)<\/a>, and Tuesday Night Caf\u00e9 Theatre (TNC)<\/a>, housed a diverse range of tenants since its construction in 1882: from faculty and students of the Presbyterian College<\/a>, to wounded soldiers returning from war overseas, to members of the International Labour Organization<\/a> seeking a safe space to work during war time. The early history of Morrice Hall is closely tied to that of the Presbyterian College of Montreal as it was constructed as an extension to the original College buildings, itself built in 1873 and later demolished to make way for the brutalist tower that is the Stephen Leacock building. Also, the Hall is named in honour of Mr. David Morrice, then Chairman of the College\u2019s Board of Management, for the generous donation of $80,000 that he provided in 1880 to have the structure built. In 1961, following a property exchange with McGill University, the Presbyterian College moved out of the two buildings on McTavish Street, and into its new site on the corner of University Avenue and Milton Street, where it remains today.<\/p>\n

From February to July 2018, the Islamic Studies Library showcased an exhibition titled If Walls Could Speak: The History of Morrice Hall<\/em><\/a> which explored the history of the building. This exhibition -curated by Ghazaleh Ghanavizchian (Senior Library Clerk, ISL), Jillian Mills (Senior Library Clerk, ISL) and Ana\u00efs Salamon (Head Librarian, ISL)- included both a physical display and a Touch Table exhibit.<\/p>\n\n\t\t