New McMaster student residence to be named after Lincoln Alexander

McMaster University has announced that a new student residence - scheduled to open in fall 2026 - will bear the name of beloved Hamiltonian, the late Lincoln Alexander.

McMaster University in Hamilton has announced its plans to build a new student residence named after the late Lincoln Alexander.

The facility on Main Street West between Forsyth and Dalewood avenues will house more than 1,300 students – primarily first-year undergrads – once it opens in fall 2026.

David Farrar, McMaster’s president and chancellor, said during a Thursday announcement about the residence that it was an easy decision to name it after Alexander, who graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Arts in history and political economy in 1949.

“As we considered what we would name the new residence, one person came to mind – an esteemed member of the McMaster and Hamilton community, whose legacy embodies the dedication to lifelong learning, social equity and civic leadership that we hope to instill in our students,” he said.

Lincoln Alexander Hall will be right on Hamilton’s planned light-rail transit line and will feature a fitness centre, quiet study areas, a dining hall, communal kitchens on each floor, an interior green space, underground parking and plenty of bicycle parking.

It will also include an intergenerational hub hosted by the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging that will encourage students and older adults from the community to socialize with one another.

Marni Alexander, who helped unveil the artist rendering of the residence during Thursday’s event, said her late husband would be “incredibly proud, honoured and humbled” to have the residence bear his name.

“I am absolutely certain and heartened to know that Lincoln’s values, his commitment to education, diversity, equality and inclusion will be espoused by McMaster University’s new student residence,” she said.