Dunton Tower

Dunton Tower
General information
Town or city	Ottawa
Country	Canada
Coordinates	45°22′58″N75°41′58″W / 45.38267°N 75.69933°W / 45.38267; -75.69933
Completed	early 1970s [a]
Height	77m
Technical details
Floor count	22
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Murray and Murray

Dunton Tower is the tallest building on the Carleton University campus and one of the tallest in Ottawa. The tower is currently used as an education facility with classrooms and study areas. ^[1] The buildings surrounding the tower are MacOdrum Library, Paterson Hall, Tory Building, and the Azrieli Pavilion.

History

Dunton Tower was completed in the early 1970s, and named after former president of Carleton University, A. Davidson Dunton. ^{[1] [2]} The tower was formerly known as the Arts Tower. In 2017, the tower was recommended to be placed on Ottawa's heritage registry. ^[3]

Institutions Housed

Dunton Tower houses many of Carleton University's institutions: ^[4]

• School of Social Work
• School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies
• Institute of Cognitive Science
• Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies
• Feminist Institute of Social Transformation
• Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice
• The departments of English and French

Notability

The tower is currently the 58th tallest educational building in the world. It has served as a dominating landmark in Ottawa and serves as one of the main landmarks of Carleton University due to its distinctive appearance. ^[5]

Criticism

At the time of construction and completion the tower was controversial, with some critics arguing it was inappropriate for a university campus and would negatively impact views of the Rideau Canal. ^{[6] [5]}

The tower is often criticised by students; some complain about elevators not working, others complain about the design, and other criticisms of the building. ^{[7] [8]}

Notes

1. Completion date is unclear. Various sources say 1972, 1970, and 1974.

References

1. "Dunton Tower". Our Campus. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
2. "Dunton Tower - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
3. Willing, Jon (August 22, 2017). "Carleton University mystified at city's heritage registry recommendations". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
4. "Circuit Virtual Tours". virtualtour.carleton.ca. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
5. Neatby, H. Blair; McEown, Don (October 1, 2002). Creating Carleton: The Shaping of a University. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. ISBN   978-0-7735-7075-7.
6. "Capital Modern - Dunton Tower". Capital Modern. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
7. Usher, Alex (October 29, 2018). "Canada's Most Iconic University Building". HESA. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
8. Baldin, Natasha (November 14, 2024). "From dizzying to dismal: Ranking every academic building at Carleton University". The Charlatan, Carleton's independent newspaper. Retrieved April 4, 2025.