On a crisp autumn morning, as you stroll through the coloured leaves beside SAIT’s Heritage Hall, it is easy to note the history of Canada’s first technical institute in the century-old bricks.
But what about the history of the landscaping along the Hall?
“This row of trees here, with all the benches for people to go and sit — I think it’s wonderful,” said Lisa Miller, director of operations and maintenance at SAIT.
Miller is in charge of making sure the facilities and grounds around campus are properly maintained.
“It’s a destination spot, for sure. And it’s iconic, right? When you look at Heritage Hall, you always have those trees there. It’s like [they’re] part of the building.”
But this was not always the case.
Although SAIT officially opened at Inglewood’s Colonel Walker School in 1916, work on the modern-day main campus – now known as Heritage Hall – did not begin until Jan. 18, 1921. In Oct. 1922, classes finally started at the hall on the hill.
“It was a bleak location at the time, for it stood all alone, just two buildings, on the edge of the treeless bluff,” wrote Roy E. Smith, author of S.A.I.T.: The First Sixty Years.
The first mention of trees (besides the lack thereof) in any historical information about SAIT comes from an article in the Emery Weal – the student newspaper – published on May 26, 1927. The article, titled “Trees and Shrubs Planted at Tech” reads:
“A step is being made this year towards beautifying the grounds around the institute. For a long time, it has been proposed to plant trees around the buildings in order to relieve the barren appearance of the grounds. The students have taken an active part in planting.”
The 1927-28 yearbook (author unknown), also noted that: “The work was done during class hours, the students being excused from their work” and “A careful record is being kept, so that the trees planted by each class will be known in the future.”
“I would be beyond excited to find that ‘careful record,’” said Karly Sawatzky, SAIT’s archivist, in an email to The Press. “I have looked for years … I’ve had no luck!”
Despite the loss of this record, there are a few more clues to be gleamed about the early years of SAIT’s trees, thanks to Smith’s history book.
In the 1928-29 school year, the beautification of the campus continued, with more trees being added, and the lawns in front of Heritage Hall were laid out and planted. In 1933 – during the Great Depression – provincial relief crews planted 12,000 trees on campus.
But students and staff, already struggling with the consequences of the Depression, were unable to maintain the grounds. In 1939, the principal of the school, W.G. Carpenter, reported that they were in a “disgraceful condition, and badly in need of attention.”
And then, WWII hit.
On June 30, 1940, the federal government took over SAIT, and converted it into the No. 2 Wireless Training School for the Royal Canadian Air Force. During this time of war, there were many modifications to the grounds. Trees were chopped down, and temporary buildings were set up. Much of the landscaping progress was lost.
In post-war 1950, plans were made to clean up and beautify the grounds once more. And with the Great Depression and WWII in the past, the campus slowly began to blossom into the beautifully landscaped landmark it is today.
Since 1950, the landscaping at SAIT has been heavily influenced by the continual addition of buildings. When a building is planned, the landscaping around it is planned in tandem. For example, the trees Miller spoke of as being a part of Heritage Hall were added in the early 2000s, when the hall got a $15 million facelift. As the campus grows, so do its trees.
“There’s so many benefits of trees, I could go on for days,” said Beverly Sandalack, professor of landscape architecture and planning at the University of Calgary. “There are a lot of studies … that say when people are exposed to nature, their blood pressure goes down, their mood is elevated, they feel more at peace with the world.”
And whether or not this knowledge was present at the beginning of SAIT, it is clear that the trees were always desired for the campus.
“It is hoped that in the future, the Technical Institute grounds will become one of the beauty spots of the city,” wrote an unknown author in the 1928-29 yearbook.
“I think the landscaping on SAIT campus is one of the most beautiful landscaped post-secondaries that I’ve been on,” said Miller, almost 100 years after the publication of that yearbook.
The grounds of the institute are in good, caring hands. And the trees are finally here to stay.
