McGill’s campus originally began as 19 hectares of farmland. Today, McGill has three sites that the CPDO is responsible for planning:
The academic vocation of the downtown campus began in 1829 when the first classes were held on the former estate of James McGill which was bequeathed to establish the Royal Institute for the Advancement of Learning. Since then, the campus has evolved to occupy a unique location between downtown Montreal and Mount Royal Park and it bridges the edge between these urban and natural landscapes. This history also makes the downtown campus one of the single largest collections of heritage buildings outside Old Montreal and Quebec City. This heritage element means that the CPDO must act as a responsible steward for these heritage resources while also balancing the needs of a modern and innovative campus.
In contrast to the downtown setting of the downtown campus, Macdonald Campus consists of 650 hectares of land in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue on the western tip of the island of Montreal. In addition to being the largest private land holding in the region, Macdonald Campus is home to over 70 buildings as well as 12 km of road network.
Visit the Mac Campus website.
Gault Nature Reserve
Although it is not an academic campus, the Gault Nature Reserve is an important part of McGill’s real estate portfolio. The private reserve protects 1000 hectares of natural land. The reserve is located in Mont-Saint-Hilaire and supports important teaching and research activities as well as a recreational sector with 25 km of trails.
Visit the Gault Nature Reserve website.