Athabasca Hall, built in 1911, was the University's first official home. For the first year it housed the entire University, including classrooms, labs, the library, faculty offices, the dining room, as well as residences for domestic staff, faculty, and students.

Although the building was given the 1979 Award of Honour for Heritage Preservation, the lobby and lounge (which hold some interesting historical displays), are the only rooms which have been preserved in their original style. The majority of the building is now fully-modernized with air-conditioned offices and seminar rooms.

Today, Athabasca Hall is home to Department of Computing Science and the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies.