The Portico was the front entrance to the F. W. Stone farmhouse. It became part of old Johnston Hall before it was moved to Johnston Green to commemorate the founding of OAC.

Guelph Grads posing in front of The Portico
The Portico in the summer
Students sitting on Johnston Green with The Portico in the distance
The Portico in the winter
Ariel view of The Portico and Johnston Green
A wedding party in front of The Portico
The Portico in the fall
Guelph Grads posing in front of The Portico
Gryph sitting on the grass in front of The Portico

ENTRANCE OLD MAIN BUILDING

56 Generations of students passed through this portal, 1874-1930

This portico was the entrance of the Frederick W.Stone farmhouse, the building in which the first classes of the Ontario School of Agriculture were held on May 1, 1874. Renamed the Ontario Agricultural College in 1880, this institution, the first college established on the University of Guelph campus, was affiliated with the University of Toronto in 1888. A Provincial Act of 1962 created the Federated Colleges of the Ontario Department of Agriculture, comprising the Ontario Agricultural College, the Ontario Veterinary College, and the Macdonald Institute; these, in 1964, formed the nucleus of the newly-established University of Guelph. Through its research and innovative ideas the Ontario Agricultural College has contributed greatly to the development of the country's agricultural industry.

For more information about the Historical Walking Tour, please contact:

Alumni Affairs & Development
(519) 824-4120 ext. 56934
alumni@uoguelph.ca