‘Citizen Science’ building at BU marks centennial

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Brandon University and the BU Students’ Union marks an important anniversary this year as the Citizen Science building turns 100 years old.

Speeches and refreshments held recently in the Mingling Area helped honour the building’s birthday, with student artwork and historic photos on display.

Constructed between 1922–1923, the Citizen Science building was the third building erected on what was then the Brandon College campus, following the Original Building (1901) and the attached Clark Hall (1906).

A Manitoba provincial heritage site, the building’s Late-Gothic style contrasts with the Romanesque styling of the two earlier buildings, and its steep pointed roof and strong vertical features make the structure seem taller than its three-and-half storeys and, as a result, the building fronts onto 18th Street with considerable prominence.

Today, the Citizen Science building is part of the larger Knowles-Douglas complex, which is attached to the McMaster Hall residence complex and from there also to the newer Brodie Science Building.

In the historic space of the Citizen Science building, the student union and other offices are housed. In the more modern portion, which was added in the late 1980s, retail and service storefronts like the BU Bookstore, a student lounge and the Mingling Area, are found.

The Knowles-Douglas name honours BU alumni Stanley Knowles and Tommy Douglas, members of the Class of 1930.

The historic Citizen Science building was so-called because the citizens of Brandon helped fundraise the money needed to construct the building, which was built out of Manitoba limestone and local brick.

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