Patenaude Hall is the main building located at the Tenth Street Campus of Selkirk College, Nelson. It is valued for its association with community champion Joseph-Ovila Patenaude. Built in 1961, the hall is a commemoration to Patenaude’s community contributions and philanthropy towards the development of Nelson’s Immaculate Conception Cathedral, St. Joseph elementary and secondary schools, as well as Mount St. Francis Hospital and Nelson’s Notre Dame University.
Orignally from Iberville, Quebec, Patenaude came to Nelson in 1897 as an optometrist. He built successful businesses in jewelry and clock repairs, and by the 1940s, owned a theatre in Penticton. The building embodies Patenaude’s spirit of giving back, by continuing to contribute to the education and development of new generations.