Most of the buildings on campus that date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s were incorporated into the 1965 University of Guelph Master Plan. Some of the oldest include the current Alumni House (an old sheep barn), the President's House, Raithby House, the Macdonald Institute and Macdonald Hall, the Bullring, and the signature landmark on campus Johnston Hall. For more information on other historical buildings, see the university's "Historical Walking Tour."

The ultimate goal of the new plan was to blend the new with the old to transform the university from its agricultural roots into a modern campus with a focus on the pedestrian experience. Thus, in addition to South Residence, the MacNaughton Building, the McLaughlin Library, and the MacKinnon Building, several other buildings on campus were constructed in the Brutalist style.