Maggie Jean Chestnut Women's Residence

In April (or so) of 1949, Lord Beaverbrook offers a residential property called the "Bank of Montreal house" to the Alumnae Society on the condition the the women raise the money to renovate and furnish the building. Ellen F. Peake (Class of 1892) bequeathed $3,000 and a call was put out to all Alumnae to contribute to fund. The residence opens at the beginning of the 1949 school year, and is named after the late Maggie Jean Chestnut (Class of 1927) "one of the alumnae who did most to advance the cause of the women's residence" (AN 4.1: 2). The building holds 21; 17 were in residence at the beginning of 1949. 15 Feb 1944: Senate receives a letter from Helen E. Hughes, Secretary of the Alumnae Society, who recommends "very strongly that a women's residence be established at the University and further that the Senate institute courses of special attraction to women... The proposals of the Alumnae Society were given serious and sympatheic consideration and the general feeling was that steps to carry them out should be taken as soon as feasible" (SM6 4).