Union Cloisters

Part of the Union Building Group, the cloisters were built to serve as a memorial to the 470 members of The University of Adelaide who served Overseas in World War I, 64 of whom lost their lives during the War. 

The cloisters were part of an appeal towards the building of a union building for men (to accompany the planned Lady Symon Building for women students), a common dining hall, and the Memorial Cloisters. It was hoped that the cloisters would allow the University to keep “green the memory of its sons who served their country in its greatest hour of need.” The complex was designed by a former University of Adelaide graduate, Mr. L. Laybourne Smith. The whole design was to be red brick, and the style Georgian, to match the intended design of future buildings of the University.

The cloisters were completed in 1929 approximately the same time as the Southern and Western arcades, which included the Lady Symon Building, Refectory and Cafeteria, with the George Murray Building completed nearly ten years later in 1938. 

Taken from Rare Books & Manuscripts Blog - Building the University of Adelaide War Memorial - Accessed 10 November 2020