The Little Red Skulehouse: Difference between revisions

These days, if you were to ask an engineering student where the centre of their non-academic life at the University of Toronto is, most would reply that it is the Atrium of the Sandford Fleming Building. In days gone by, however, the answer would unanimously have been the red Skulehouse, which used to occupy the site that the Medical Sciences Building now occupies. If you were to talk to a student about the Skulehouse, however, many of them would likely return a quizzical look, as if they had never heard of the building. Unfortunately, the significance of the Skulehouse to the average engineering student has been lost over the years. As it currently stands, the only reference that many students will likely read or hear about the little red Skulehouse is the verse of Godiva’s Hymn that refers to it.

The Skulehouse was not only the centre of the engineering social life, but also the centre of academics, the administration, and the Engineering Society. It was built in 1878, and it was at this time that the School of Practical Science (SPS) formally became part of the University (it became the “Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering” in 1906). Before this, SPS and its predecessor, the College of Technology, had been located at the corner of Church and Adelaide Streets in the thick of downtown Toronto, housed in the Mechanic’s Institute. Originally, an arrangement had been set up to allow SPS the use of University College’s library and facilities, but it proved to be too great a distance for such an arrangement. Due to this, the provincial government at the time sold the original home of SPS and went to work creating a home for SPS on the university grounds.

The Skulehouse was a three-story building, designed by architect Kivas Tully, known for being the architect behind Trinity College. It was built in two phases: the original northern third of the building was completed in 1878. The remaining two-thirds of the Skulehouse were started in 1889, and included the tower that gave it a unique look. For 88 years the Skulehouse would be the pride and joy of the engineering Faculty. While it was formally the “Engineering Building”, it was often referred to as “the little red Skulehouse”. Prior to the Second World War, it had always been spelled Schoolhouse; but afterwards, ‘Skulehouse’ was substituted into the name, around the same time that a portion of the student body began to refer to themselves as members of Skule™ (although the name would not be trademarked by the Engineering Society until 1984).

The Skulehouse played several important roles in the shaping of engineering at the University, both in the past and presently. The Engineering Society elections were held within its walls, with many yells and cheers sounding down its hallways on election night. It was also the home of the gauntlet, which an engineer had to run before they were allowed to cast their vote in the EngSoc elections. The orientation of F!rosh (or Freshman, as they were called during the Skulehouse days) also took place, with the first years entering the Skulehouse through the basement doors. And the name Toike Oike (pronounced “Toi-kee Oike”) had its humble beginnings within the walls of the building, with the reported source of the name being an Irish janitor of the Skulehouse. When a student was working in one of the labs of the Skulehouse and it came time to lockup, the janitor would tell them to “take a hike”. Thanks to his accent, however, it sounded like ‘toike oike’, and for that he has been immortalized in the history of Skule™. Finally, Freshman were constantly reminded of their position in SPS; they were barred from using the eastern entrance to the building!

Unfortunately, the Skulehouse was unable to stand the test of time and became a victim of progress. In 1961, the Galbraith Building was opened and became the new headquarters for the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, and in 1967 the Sandford Fleming Building was acquired from Physics. Due to these two events, engineering was forced to bid farewell to the little red Skulehouse in 1966, as it was torn down to make way for the new Medical Sciences Building. Around the same time, the name Skule™ came into full use, replacing the School of Practical Science, which had been closely associated with the Skulehouse.