Eaton Building -- McGill Archives

In the 1950s, the Department of Physics found that it had outgrown the Macdonald Physics Building both in its need for space and technologically. New discoveries had been made that warranted the erection of more modern labs and facilities. In 1948, the firm of Fetherstonhaugh, Durnford, Bolton, and Chadwick was commissioned to build the Foster Radiation Laboratory and Cyclotron, named after the McGill physicist John Stuart Foster. Harold Fetherstonhaugh had already completed several projects for McGill, such as the William and Henry Birks Building and Douglas Hall. The new lab, located northeast of the Arts Building, was a purely functional concrete structure that provided necessary space and more modern equipment for experiments in Physics. In 1950, it was joined by the Eaton Electronics Building, named after its donor, Lady Eaton. The Eaton Building completed an important phase of the expansion of the Department of Physics by providing more research facilities. It was demolished in 1996 to make way for a new building. The Chemical Engineering and Material Sciences Building, currently being constructed by the firm of Pratte and Troy, incorporates the structure of the Foster Lab in its design. This edifice, donated by Mr. Wong, an alumnus of McGill's School of Architecture, preserves the atmosphere of the campus both in its size and in its materials. It is composed of two sections, the older Foster section which consists of four storeys, and a new wing north of Foster which adds another six storeys to the whole. The Foster Wing, which will be used as offices, has had classrooms and labs added to both its west side and the top of the building, designated for Metallurgical Engineering labs. The new wing will be used for Chemical Engineering labs.