page_title: Arts Building (McGill University)
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Arts Building (McGill University) / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: English: Montreal, August 2017
context_page_description: The McCall MacBain Arts Building is a landmark building located at 853 Sherbrooke Street West, in the centre of the McGill University downtown campus in Montreal, Quebec. The Arts Building is the oldest building on campus, and was designed in Classical style by John Ostell beginning in 1839. The building's central block and east wing were completed in 1843, and the west and north wings were completed in 1861 and 1925, respectively, after involving multiple architects, including Alexander Francis Dunlop and Harold Lea Fetherstonhaugh. Today the Arts Building is made up of three distinct wings around a central block: Dawson Hall, Molson Hall, and Moyse Hall, and currently houses the Department of French Language and Literature, Department of English and the Department of Art History and Communication Studies. The building also hosts lectures for several other departments from the Faculty of Arts.
  In April 2019, the building was renamed the McCall MacBain Arts Building in recognition of a generous gift of C$200 million, the largest single gift to a university in Canadian history, from the McCall MacBain Foundation.
context_section_description: The McCall MacBain Arts Building uses a mix of Classical architectural elements, such as a front portico with a pediment held up by Tuscan columns. The Latin motto of the university, Grandescunt Aucta Labore ("By work, we believe all things increase and grow" in English) is inscribed in the building, representing the classical and liberal education of the university around the time it was founded. The interior lobby of the building contains black marble columns, a pink marble floor and oak furnishings, and along with the Greek Revival architecture give evidence to the great culture of the British Empire. The wooden cupola atop the central block, from which the McGill flag flies, can be seen from the Roddick Gates and is an instantly recognizable icon of the University. The tomb of James McGill can also be seen in front of the Arts Building.
caption: The tomb of James McGill in front of the Arts Building.
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