History
Brockville Collegiate Institute was built on the present site in 1889, and was formally opened for the Fall term in September of that year. It was originally known as Brockville High School before changing its name to Brockville Collegiate Institute The grey stone building of simple and dignified architecture stood near the centre of the block between Orchard St. and Ormond St. facing Pearl St. on the south. A beautiful lawn in front extended the length of the block and was terraced to the playgrounds of the boys and girls at the rear.
The school comprised the basement with cloakrooms for pupils and a furnace room, the main floor with office and library in a shallow extension at the front and three classrooms on the north. The second floor held a laboratory above the office, and an assembly room and one classroom; the third floor with two gyms for boys and girls.
John McMullen, the author of A History of Canada and editor of The Brockville Monitor was head of the building committee. The citizens felt that at last they had a splendid school - one that would serve the town for ages. The new school evidently attracted more pupils, and in a short time, a small classroom was partitioned off the assembly room. Soon the later was required for classes.
In 1908, a north wing was added, containing the gymnasium on the ground floor, above that a laboratory and classroom, and on the second floor, a large assembly hall. But this too proved quite inadequate for the growing numbers, and the assembly hall was divided by means of temporary partitions into three classrooms. The two gymnasiums of the original building had long been used for very unsatisfactory classrooms.
It burned down on March 8, 1929 but re-opened two years later.
Twenty-seven alumni were killed serving in World War I and forty-six in World War II. A bronze memorial plaque is dedicated as a list of honour to the former students of Brockville Collegiate Institute and Vocational School who died in the First and Second World Wars.
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