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The laying of the cornerstone was celebrated with great pomp and circumstance on May 24, 1904. Presiding at the ceremony was the archbishop of Baltimore, Cardinal James Gibbons. The event was well attended and included Count Minto, Governor General of Canada; Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier; James A. Ellis, mayor of Ottawa; most of Canada’s archbishops and bishops; chancellor of the University and archbishop of Ottawa, Joseph-Thomas Duhamel; Rector Joseph-Edourad Émery; rector of Université Laval, Olivier-E. Mathieu, and the chancellor of Queen’s University, Sir Sanford Fleming.
The cornerstone can be found to the left of the grand staircase leading into Tabaret Hall, two metres from the ground. It is inscribed with the year 1904. This date was actually added to the cornerstone in 1965 with the help of some Oblate fathers who remembered the original placement of the stone.
Several items were placed inside the cornerstone: the 1866 civil charter of the University and the 1889 pontifical charter, the student newspaper at that time, the University of Ottawa Review, the City of Ottawa almanac and some coins. Obviously, the state of this material after 100 years is unknown. However, duplicates are meticulously preserved at the University Archives.
American architect, A.O. Von Herbulis, drew his inspiration from the Capitol in Washington to design the new building. Completely fireproof, it is one of the first buildings in Canada constructed with reinforced concrete. The central portion was completed in 1905. Instead of the majestic dome that was originally planned, however, the building had to make do with a wooden cupola that was hardly reminiscent of the Capitol. It was not until 1970 that the existing dome was installed and the “temporary” cupola removed.
In 1971, the building housing the central administration of the University was named Tabaret in honour of Father Joseph-Henri Tabaret, who led the institution for some 30 years in the 19th century and introduced, in 1875, a new program emphasizing science, mathematics and sports.
Fire! Eyewitness describes 1903 tragedy (Story in French only)
