Nova Scotia鈥檚 11 degree-granting institutions collaborate in many ways, but the relationship between Dalhousie and King鈥檚 College is decidedly special. This year marks the 100th anniversary of their Agreement of Association, which was brought to fruition three years after a fire destroyed King鈥檚 beloved home in Windsor. Earlier efforts to create a union between them had failed, as had several later attempts to establish a wider federation of Maritime colleges.
The Carnegie Foundation of New York, which had an expressed interest in Maritime education, agreed to assist King鈥檚 if the college were willing to join with Dalhousie and move its campus to Halifax. The Faculty of Arts would become a joint faculty of Dal and King鈥檚 professors, the latter to be funded by the foundation鈥攈ence King鈥檚 Carnegie Professors, who still teach across both universities. Other terms of association included Dalhousie鈥檚 sole right to confer academic degrees and the transfer of King鈥檚 library collections and scientific apparatus to Dalhousie. In exchange, Dalhousie would provide up to five acres of Studley Campus on which King鈥檚 could rebuild, with the provision that the college buildings be in keeping with Dalhousie鈥檚 established style and that plans be approved by their de facto university architect, Andrew Cobb.
It would be six more years before King鈥檚 had the money to build. In the meantime, the college, with its 85 students, moved into Birchdale, a former hotel on the Northwest Arm bought by Dalhousie to serve as a student residence. In 1930 King鈥檚 opened the doors to its new campus, nestled on Studley鈥檚 northwest corner. Built of blue-grey quartzite dotted with red stones, the buildings were both reminiscent of King鈥檚 Windsor heritage and at ease alongside Dalhousie's neo-Georgian ironstone campus. Distinct but harmonious, a fine reflection on the association itself. And a century later, good neighbours still make good friends.
Read more:听Dalhousie and King鈥檚 celebrate 100 years together (Dal News)
Blueprints for the University of King's College (Nick Pearce photo).
Blueprints for the University of King's College (Nick Pearce photo).
This story appeared in the听DAL Magazine Fall/Winter 2023听issue. Flip through the rest of the issue using the links below.