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Goodes Hall - Open for Business
September 12, 2002
2002-09-12 - September 12, 2002 (Kingston) – A new era for Queen’s School of Business was rung in today by the sound of a bell — a sound shared by both commerce and education, from the stock market to the schoolyard. At 3:30 p.m., Mel Goodes, former chairman & CEO of Warner-Lambert Company, rang a replica of an historic school bell and officially open the new home of Queen’s School of Business at a special ceremony in Kingston, Ontario. The building, named Goodes Hall in recognition of Goodes’ $10 million lead gift towards its construction, is a $25.5 million, 113,000 square foot facility that combines the history of the carefully preserved 1892 Victoria Elementary School with the modern design, architecture and cutting-edge learning tools of the future.
“Queen’s School of Business has been an important part of my life from the day I arrived on campus as a student in 1953, and throughout my career I’ve had the privilege of working with many talented members of the Queen’s community,” said Mel Goodes. “I’m delighted to help open a new home for a thriving institution that’s now widely considered one of the world’s top business schools.”
The ceremony was attended by hundreds of students, alumni, benefactors, faculty and staff, and included remarks by Goodes, Queen’s officials and Dianne Cunningham, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. In addition, four Honour Roll students from the original Victoria School Class of 1934 attended. During construction of Goodes Hall, workers discovered an original blackboard that bears a handwritten list of the names of 18 Honour Roll students.
“At Queen’s we strive to set the standard for excellence in post-secondary education, and Goodes Hall exemplifies this vision by symbolizing growth, achievement and leadership,” said William Leggett, Principal of Queen’s University. “As Queen’s School of Business has grown both in size and in international reputation, so too has its need for a centralized leading-edge facility for learning, discovering and leading. Goodes Hall answers that need.”
Here are some of the unique features of Goodes Hall:
· circa-1892 classrooms continue to be used as classrooms, complete with original wainscoting and airy 14-foot pressed tin ceilings;
· historically preserved grand maple staircase and solid maple schoolhouse doors;
· plaques and room signage custom-carved from the historic slate blackboards that were installed in Victoria School in the 1890s;
· a full data and communications network with 1,300 ports throughout classrooms, team breakout rooms and lounges that allow students to plug laptop computers directly into the Queen’s computer network, as well as state-of-the-art presentation tools and an electronic decision-making lab;
· a layout designed to maximize interaction between students and staff with many lounges, breakout rooms and meeting areas dotting the building; and
· an expansive glass-ceiling atrium designed to be a dramatic central “hive” of activity.
“Queen’s School of Business is unique in that it is known both for its rich history as well as its innovative approach to business education,” said Merv Daub, the Queen’s professor who chaired the building committee. “The design of Goodes Hall reflects this personality by blending old and new in a way that honours history while reaching into the future.”
The lead architect on the building was Peter Berton, partner-in-charge of the Toronto office of architectural firm The Ventin Group, which specializes in renovating and recycling historic buildings.