Transcript for Chapter 1: Loyola’s Legacy
Concordia’s 50th-anniversary walking tour podcast
Narrated by Julian McKenzie, BA 16
Welcome to Forever Forward, an audio-based walking tour to celebrate our present and past as we mark Concordia’s 50th anniversary.
This audio tour can be enjoyed anywhere — you don’t need to be on campus.
To follow along on site, consult our online map and feel free to pause between sites when you hear this musical interlude.
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This is Chapter 1: Loyola’s Legacy
I’m your host Julian McKenzie. I’m a journalist and broadcaster and I’m a proud Concordia graduate from our Department of Journalism. The Loyola Campus was my second home not too many years ago where I covered a lot of Concordia Stingers sports and hosted shows at CJLO, Concordia’s campus radio station which we’ll visit later this tour.
Ready? Let’s begin.
Our first stop is the Administration Building, known as the AD. Completed in 1915, the AD has welcomed countless students over the last century as one of Concordia’s oldest buildings. It was originally built by the Jesuit order that founded the college in 1896.
The majestic site is synonymous with Loyola. Its Gothic Revival style has led some to compare Loyola to Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Today, the Faculty of Arts and Science, Concordia’s largest, houses most of its 257 undergraduate and graduate programs at Loyola.
DID YOU KNOW? Concordia’s Faculty of Arts and Science has more than 130,000 alumni around the world? From the university’s first Nobel Peace Prize winner to Pulitzer Prize laureates, arts and science alumni represent the faculty’s diversity and its interdisciplinary approach to teaching, training and research-creation.
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Next to AD is the Loyola Chapel, inaugurated in 1933. The chapel has evolved beyond its origin as a Catholic place of worship and is now a Multi-Faith and Spirituality Centre and an event venue on campus. It is an inclusive sacred space used for a variety of wellness programs including meditation, reflection and yoga.
DID YOU KNOW? Our university’s name was derived from Concordia Salus, Montreal’s motto and a Latin expression for “well-being through harmony.”
Loyola was an all-male Catholic Jesuit high school and college. Women first joined Loyola in 1959. Loretta Mahoney and Gabrielle Paul were the first women to attend, while Katherine Waters became the first woman to teach at Loyola.
Loyola has been a secular institution since the 1974 merger with Sir George Williams University to become the Concordia University we know today.
Building on the Jesuit philosophy of ‘people for others’, Loyola — and later Concordia — have continued to grow and serve its extended community.
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Loyola’s Central Building was officially opened in 1947. It houses the popular fourth-floor Guadagni Lounge, named for Franco Guadagni, a beloved professor of chemistry and engineering.
The Central Building is also home to CJLO, Concordia’s non-profit, volunteer radio station. CJLO streams music, talk and sports seven days a week, live, on 1690 AM.
CJLO grew from the 1998 merger of CFLI at Loyola, Canada’s first student-radio station to hold an AM license, and CRSG at Sir George Williams. The union ended years of competition over student council funding. With over 16,000 unique online listeners each month, CJLO has a committed following.
DID YOU KNOW? Their extensive in-house music library, a cornerstone of CJLO’s collection since its inception 25 years ago, houses hundreds of physical media. Lisa Rupnik, BA 20, the head music director, actively contributes to this growing collection by incorporating physical submissions from promoters.
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The Quadrangle, or Quad, is an outdoor open space at the centre of Loyola Campus that can accommodate up to 6,000 people.
The Quad hosts Concordia’s annual Pow Wow, where people of all backgrounds are invited to celebrate First Nations, Inuit and Métis students. This event features traditional singing, dancing and performances. The Pow Wow also supports Indigenous entrepreneurs by selling handmade artisanal crafts.
DID YOU KNOW? In 2022, Concordia grad Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, BFA 91, from Kahnawake performed the Hoop Dance at the Concordia Pow Wow.
Voice of Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo: “Hoop dancing is a type of Pow Wow dancing. In Pow Wow, different Indigenous nations, we share dances. I was allowed to learn this dance. It’s a storytelling dance. I make different shapes with my hoops to tell all kinds of stories, but there’s also a healing aspect to it.”
Once illegal in Canada because it was considered an obstacle to cultural assimilation, the Hoop Dance is testament to the tenacity and endurance of the Indigenous people.
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Completed in 1916, the Refectory is one of Loyola College’s original buildings. It initially served as a dining hall, infirmary and meeting hall.
In 2011, after extensive renovations, the Refectory was transformed into the Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre — thanks to the generosity of Loyola Alumni Association members who raised $4 million towards its refurbishment.
DID YOU KNOW? Loyola Campus is known for its many trees. In 1922, 36 maple trees along both sides of Sherbrooke Street, at the heart of the campus, were planted to commemorate the Loyola boys who died in World War I.
First opened in 1964, Hingston Hall is an on-campus residence, originally only for male students. The building is named for Father William Hingston, a Jesuit priest and the son of Sir William Hingston, former Mayor of Montreal. Today, Hingston is co-ed student residence, open to all genders.
DID YOU KNOW? Concordia’s first shuttle bus was a rented van. Today, Concordia offers a fleet of buses for a convenient, non-stop ride that connects Loyola to Concordia’s downtown campus.
From the outside near the main entrance of Hingston Hall, stands Transcendence, a 24-foot sculpture by Walter Führer. Originally part of Expo 67, this stainless-steel piece with a motorized globe was restored in 2002 after years of weathering. It symbolizes man’s journey into space, reflecting Concordia’s blend of history and innovation.
DID YOU KNOW? During Expo 67, Loyola College had the unique opportunity to hold its 1967 Convocation ceremony at the Expo’s "Man the Explorer" pavilion, a site dedicated to the theme of exploration and discovery.
Next up is the Communication Studies and Journalism Building, known as CJ, and formerly the Drummond Science Complex.
Concordia’s Department of Communication Studies has been a leader in media and cultural studies since 1965. It was the first program of its kind in Canada.
DID YOU KNOW? Reverend John E. O’Brien, BA 45, after receiving a doctorate in communication from the University of Southern California, returned to his alma matter, Loyola College, to create the then-called, Department of Communication Arts.
In 1975, Concordia’s Department of Journalism was founded, educating countless reporters and broadcasters who work around the world. All faculty are former or current journalists who bring real-world experience into the classroom.
DID YOU KNOW? The Montreal Signs Project was started by Professor Matt Soar in 2010. This project aims to preserve abandoned and neglected public industrial, commercial and civic signage. Most of the collection is on permanent display in the CJ Building.
Voice of Matt Soar: “What’s amazing about putting the signs up in the building is that it gives character to the spaces. So, it’s absolutely wonderful to hear someone say that if you’re looking for the washroom, you turn left at Monsieur Hot Dog or you turn right at The Tavern. I think that’s a great part of the new character of the building with the signs in place. We depend on people donating their signs to us and to the collection, knowing that we’re going to put them on display for everyone to enjoy for the foreseeable future.”
The Vanier Library and Oscar Peterson Music Hall are located on the eastern side of Loyola Campus.
Open since 1964, the Vanier Library houses 300,000 volumes. The site is named after Governor General Georges Vanier, a distinguished lawyer, soldier, diplomat and Loyola College graduate. He is also a 2014 posthumous Great Concordian.
Loyola’s concert hall opened in 1990 and was renamed the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall in 1999. A jazz pianist and composer first recognized by Concordia with an honorary degree in 1979, the late Oscar Peterson is considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time.
DID YOU KNOW? For many years, the Vanier Library showcased a four-metre plaster replica of Michelangelo’s David. For years the statue was the object of pranks such as being painted green for St. Patrick’s Day. Sadly, the hijinks went too far when the statue was toppled and destroyed in 1987.
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On the south side of Sherbrooke Street lies the Ed Meagher Arena and Athletics Complex, home of the Concordia Stingers. GO STINGERS! The Stingers were formed when rival teams from Loyola College and Sir George Williams merged.
Today, Concordia has 10 men’s and women’s varsity teams.
The arena was built in 1967. It is named after Ed Meagher, a former athletic director of both Loyola College and Loyola High School.
From November to April each year, the Loyola Campus south field is transformed into the Stinger Dome, an enclosed air-supported structure that hosts tournaments, intramural and recreational sports, camps and other community activities.
Concordia’s varsity athletes gain many unique experiences. Foremost among them is balancing academics and athletics, which prepares them for numerous leadership roles in society.
DID YOU KNOW? The National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens practiced at Ed Meagher Arena when Ice Capades occupied the Forum in 1966-67. Jean Beliveau — recognized as one of the greatest of all-time players in the NHL — was part of the team that season and later received the Loyola Medal in 1995 and an honorary degree from Concordia in 2009.
That’s the end of Chapter 1: Loyola’s Legacy. Thanks for joining me to revisit the places where I hold many memories of my time at Loyola.
