This isn’t your average garden party.
Welcome to some of McMaster’s awesome gardens on campus. This week we thought we would highlight some gardens that have some pretty neat things about them. From an oasis to a time capsule, this Doors Open will open your eyes to the beauty of McMaster’s campus as well as provide some cool facts.
First up, the Oasis Garden. This garden was made possible during the 50th reunion of the Class of ’54. To honour their 50th anniversary, on the advice of ’54 grad Doug Coleman to “give something green”, the class collectively contributed to create this garden. You’ll notice that the three faculties in the 1950s (Arts, Science and Divinity) have their own area in the garden with a large rock engraved with the faculty name. As well, the design of the garden goes a lot further than just a few rocks and some flowers. The garden was designed to provide an area for the campus community to get a sense of how campus was before it became more urbanized. Also, the paving stones are laid out in a way to represent math and science as well as early 1950’s artists! You can read more about the inspiration behind the garden on the landscaper’s website. To make this garden possible, the class raised over $100,000 in 2004 to create this great spot to relax over lunch and overlook Faculty Hollow.
Next, just down the path from the Oasis Garden, you’ll stumble upon the Graduating Classes of 2010, 2011, and 2012 Garden. Did you know that this garden has a time capsule? Wonder what’s inside? Well, the Class of 2012 came together to decide to include menu from the campus pubs, the Arkells' Jackson Square cd, and a box of Kraft Dinner just to name a few of the items. The capsule will be opened when the Class of 2012 celebrates its 50th reunion in 2062. I wonder if the Kraft Dinner will still be edible after that long? This garden was made possible through the gifts from the grads of those years to honour their time at Mac.
Finally, how could we leave out the Senator? We hope everyone has taken the time to go get a selfie with Senator McMaster, who sits stoically just outside University Hall. A gift from the McMaster Alumni Association for McMaster’s 125th anniversary, the statue of Senator McMaster is a physical representation of our founder on campus. Did you know that it was actually his wife, Susan Moulton, who made McMaster possible? When William was deciding what to fund with his bequest, either a hospital or a university, Susan said found a university. You can read more about Susan and the impact she has had on McMaster (the university and the man) here. Senator McMaster’s bench sits in the Class of 1964’s Founder’s Garden, another reunion gift. Man, aren’t we lucky we have all these grads contributing to making our campus so beautiful?
Be sure to check out Senator McMaster’s Instagram and visit him in person to get your very own #selfiewiththesenator.
So there you have it, a mix of McMaster history, with a few special spots for you to relax out in nature. While we didn’t open any doors, hopefully we were able to open your eyes to some very pretty spots on campus.
