Although McGill College was officially founded in 1821, the first classes would not be delivered until 1829, in part due to legal squabbles over James McGill’s estate. In 1824, McGill’s first Principal was appointed, but no Faculties had yet been established.
During the 1820s, physicians at the Montreal General Hospital had been working to get the Montreal Medical Institution (MMI) off the ground – but without a royal charter, this medical school could not grant degrees. McGill College and the MMI merged in 1829, with the MMI becoming Canada’s first Faculty of Medicine. McGill’s first Faculty was born, and the Montreal General Hospital – from which the MMI had sprung – became its teaching hospital.
On June 24, 1829, Burnside Place was formally opened as McGill College. With a medical faculty and learning facilities, classes could begin.
Explore the The Montreal General Hospital 200th Anniversary Exhibition here.