Albert College was founded in 1857 by the Methodist Episcopal Church as the Belleville Seminary. Due to its strong academic record, Albert College received its university charter in 1866 and was renamed Albert University in honour of
Prince Albert, the Prince Consort of
Queen Victoria. Albert University was an affiliate of the
University of Toronto. After the Methodist Episcopal Church merged into the
Methodist Church of Canada in 1884, the school federated with
Victoria College (University of Toronto). At that time, the school stopped offering university credits and became a high school. In 1857, the original College was located on what is now College Street East in Belleville. It was designed to accommodate 150 residents, with classroom facilities for 400 students. It was partly destroyed by fire in the spring of 1917. Construction on the present Dundas Street West site began in 1923 and the new school opened in 1926, affiliated with the
United Church of Canada. When Albert College relocated, it admitted boys only. In 1934, girls were welcomed once again. The school was struck by fire again in 1980. This time, fire broke out in Victoria Manor, located nearby the main campus. The damage was limited primarily to the older of the two buildings that comprised the residence at the time. There were no serious injuries. A plaque was erected by the
Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, on College Hill United Church at 16 North Park Street in Belleville: Albert College features several stained glass windows in their chapel, including a three light window (1986) by Robert McCausland Limited. ==See also==