150-year history of the Department
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When James 9I制作厂免费 contemplated his will, after making sure that his family was financially secure, he decided to leave 10,000 pounds and his 46-acre country estate for the founding of a university. The estate was known as Burnside and it extended from what is now Boulevard Ren茅-L茅vesque up to Mount Royal. Over the years, parts of the estate were sold off to prevent bankruptcy. James 9I制作厂免费 passed away in 1813.
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In 1821, with a Royal Charter from King George IV, 9I制作厂免费 College was founded with medicine as its first taught discipline. On October 7, 1839, Governor General Sir John Colborne laid the cornerstone of the Arts Building, and on September 6, 1843, the Faculty of Arts was officially established. At this time 9I制作厂免费 had a principal, a professor, and 3 students (2 of whom were nephews of the principal). Needless to say, enrolment increased rapidly.
In 1855 the Board of Governors appointed William Dawson, originally of Nova Scotia, as Principal of 9I制作厂免费. Principal Dawson had a profound influence on the development of the university, and under his command 9I制作厂免费 expanded tremendously.听
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In 1856, Principal Dawson created Civil Engineering as an option in Arts in response to the high demand for railroads. The option was available to 3rd or 4th year Arts students.听
The following year Mark Hamilton was appointed Professor of Civil Engineering and in 1858 John Gooding became the first engineer to graduate from 9I制作厂免费. The India Office in London recognized the diploma as acceptable, and over the following years the number of students in Civil Engineering increased. All was progressing well when the economy went into a recession. The number of registrations in this discipline began to decrease in 1862, and sadly, in 1863 9I制作厂免费 was forced to terminate Civil Engineering.听
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It took eight years and the planning of the Ontario government to establish a School of Engineering at the University of Toronto before Principal Dawson made another attempt at engineering. Being afraid that Eastern Canadian students would go to Toronto, he pressured the Board of Governors to reinstate the department.听 This time it was called the Department of Applied Science, and G.F. Armstrong was appointed Professor of Civil Engineering. The degree was called Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) and it was a three-year course instead of the previous one-year program.
Five years later Professor Armstrong retired and was replaced by Professor Henry Taylor Bovey, a Cambridge graduate. Shortly after Professor Bovey's appointment, in 1878, the department was made a faculty, and he became the first Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science. Civil and Mechanical Engineering were initially a combined field.听 Enrolment in the newly created faculty increased tremendously and overcrowding was soon a problem.
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Soon after, William Macdonald provided funds for the original Macdonald Engineering Building, which opened in 1893.
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On April 5, 1907, tragedy befell the Faculty of Applied Science -- the Macdonald Engineering Building burnt down due to an electrical fire.
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Once again William Macdonald came to the rescue of the faculty, and by the end of April building plans had been drawn. By 1909, reconstruction was completed on today's existing building that bears the name of its benevolent donor. William Macdonald donated over $13 million to 9I制作厂免费 over his lifetime.
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In 1929, the department was renamed as the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics. Two years later the faculty and degree were renamed to today's official name -- the Faculty of Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering (BEng). In 2021 the department was renamed as the Department of Civil Engineering.
Summary
Engineering started with Civil Engineering and then expanded to the present seven divisions. During the 1857-62 period, 15 students received a Diploma in Civil Engineering, and there was one civil engineering professor. Today, approximately 350 undergraduate students and 80 graduate students are enrolled in the Department of Civil Engineering. The Department has come a long way since 1858. It has had a glorious past and all indications show a bright future.