Is StFX respecting its architectural heritage?

The StFX campus is beautiful. Its architecture is cohesive and inspiring. It even makes you wonder how something so great could be built in such a small town. Its a testament to the passion and dedication of those who came before us, whether they be former StFX staff, builders, stonemasons, or students. Walking around campus, the love and craftsmanship that was put into most of the buildings is apparent. Buildings like Morrison Hall, Gilmora Hall, Xavier Hall, Schwartz School of Business, the Coady Institute and gardens, etc., weren’t built so meticulously and so intentionally because it was the cheapest way to build them, but because of how much beauty was valued by those who made and used them. They weren’t made by people trying to pump something out as cheaply or quickly as possible, they were made by people who had a love for the people that would come after them, us.

The picturesque feel of the campus comes down to building according to the Italianate and Neoclassical traditions. The Italianate style, best demonstrated in Xavier Hall, is described by the American National Park Service as having “low, overhanging roof(s) with decorative eave brackets...windows accentuated with thick, decorative hoods and the front entrances often highlighted with a tower, a cupola or a projecting porch.” The Neoclassical style is characterised by following the British Georgian tradition, which incorporates “symmetry, graceful proportions, clean lines, and the use of exposed brick” while also including features like classically detailed pediments and pillars. Most buildings around campus are a mix of the two, and I encourage readers to look up images of these terms to get a better appreciation of their meaning. To simplify it pretty heavily, red bricks = Georgian/Italianate, and pillars = Neoclassical. These styles make up the classic, beautiful university aesthetic that we know and love here at StFX.

With the addition of Mulroney Hall, however, it feels like StFX took a big step in the wrong direction. It’s almost like it’s trying to blend in with the rest of the buildings on campus, but on closer inspection lacks any kind of soul or artistry. The huge square pillars are clearly trying to ape those found somewhere like the Keating Centre, Governor’s Hall, or Coady, but look more like something you’d build on your first night on a new Minecraft survival world. They’re just so ugly. When it comes to the outside, there is no level of detail that even comes close to some of the great buildings on campus. It’s plain all the way around, like no effort or thought whatsoever went into it besides the desire to keep the budget low. Compare the outside walls of Mulroney Hall with the outside walls of a similarly sized building in the Keating Centre. The Keating Centre isn’t even that crazy, but there was clearly significant thought that went into adding detail and character to the exterior. On top of this, Mulroney is literally just 2 big squares. A baby could come up with that, in fact, when I was a baby playing with blocks on the floor, I probably did come up with that exact design! Put a big square next to a smaller rectangle and you’re qualified to design a building for StFX.

The worst and most soul crushing part of Mulroney is the interior, and there’s nowhere on campus so sterile and characterless. Sitting in Mulroney, you could be anywhere in the world. Once you get past the novelty of “Wow, this building is pretty big” you realize that there is almost no difference between a classroom in Mulroney and a room in a stereotypical TV asylum, nothing but bleached white walls. This is a building that stands in total opposition to the sentiment of love for future generations and passion to do something well that went into so many other buildings on campus. There are some buildings on campus that are run down, sure, even if they were originally very inspired. There are also other cheap and ugly buildings on campus that were never inspired, like Bloomfield, Annex, Nicholson Tower, and MSB (sorry bears), but none of those are flagship buildings for the school, as big of an undertaking, or as important as Mulroney Hall.

This article may look like it’s coming out of nowhere since it’s been five years since Mulroney was completed. However, in the wake of construction beginning on the new Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Hall, I think it’s worthwhile to start a conversation about what we really want this campus to look like. How much can we chip away at the elegance and charm of our campus for cynical financial reasons before it stops being one of the most picturesque campuses in Canada? I know this seems harsh, but it’s coming from a place of love for the passion that those in the past had for creating something uplifting for us to enjoy, and I don’t want the corporate beast of the StFX administration to take that away from the experience those who will come after us.