Muddy Charles closed for renovations
Muddy Charles closed for renovations
The Muddy Charles Pub, which is located in Walker Memorial, closed after Dec. 19 and will undergo renovations throughout IAP. The pub is expected to reopen in early February, according to estimates.
The pub, which has been on campus since 1968 and is updated approximately once every ten years, will receive new flooring, curtains, ceiling fans, large-screen televisions, and wall sconces. The pub will also see a new paint job which will draw the two rooms together with a common color theme, according to Stephen J. Messenger G, the chair of the Muddy Charles’s Board of Governors, which oversees the pub’s finances and determines its operating procedures.
Messenger said that the board chose to close the pub during IAP when it is least utilized, so that the fewest number of community members will be disrupted; while the pub is usually open during IAP, its hours are generally sporadic during winter break to accommodate the lower levels of patronage.
He said that there are “a lot of people doing a lot of work to get [the renovations] to happen,” including not only members of The Board, but also the pub manager, the MIT Department of Facilities, and the Department of Residential Life and Dining.
The pub, which is a “permanent activity” of the Graduate Student Council, is open to the MIT community and is frequented by graduate students as well as post-docs and professors, Messenger told The Tech. He stressed that the pub is really a multi-use space, and is periodically used by patrons for research group meetings, business meetings, and social events.
“There’s a lot of fun and progress that happens in that environment,” Messenger said. “It’s not about the alcohol, but [about providing a] place for students to work, unwind, or take a breather.”
—William Navarre