Barker Café Formally Reopens

UPDATED: October 23, 2014, at 1:00 p.m.

After months of renovation, the Arts and Humanities Café at the Barker Center formally opened its doors on Wednesday to positive reviews from students. The café welcomed community members to an open house that featured refreshments, as well as a glimpse at the café’s new interior design.

The café was designed to facilitate discussions about the arts and humanities, as well as feed students and faculty coming and going through the Barker Center.

“We renovated it to make it more conformable, more inviting, to make it a space where you would want to have a cup of tea or coffee and chat with your friend about an art project or a book you read or a story you are writing,” said Diana Sorensen, dean of the Arts and Humanities Division.

Liz Maynes-AminZade, a lecturer in History and Literature, welcomes community members to the grand opening of the Barker Center Cafe. By Tiana A Abdulmassih

Featuring newly-restored hardwood floors, panoramic ceiling-to-floor curtains, and rustic bohemian furnishings, the café has been completely remodelled from top to bottom. Even the air conditioning and heating systems have been replaced.

“It seems like a nice place for collaboration. There lots of tables where you can talk,” said Saranya Vijayakumar ’18, who has a freshman seminar in the Barker Center.

Like the physical space, the café’s menu has also been remodelled. It now features a wide variety of new food and beverage options, supplied by Hi-Rise Bread Company and Counter Culture Coffee, respectively.

“[The Café] seems like a great idea, especially because the food they are serving now is so good. Everyone loves Hi-Rise,” said Rachel A. Orol ’15, who attended the event.

However, others noted that the higher price range of food and drinks offered at the cafe may be a deterrent for students.

“The food is pretty pricey,” said Ajay Singh ’18, a student in attendance at the event.

Still, others noted the practical benefits of the café. Hurlbut resident Sean Dillett ’18 was most excited by the café’s proximity to the Union dormitories.

“It’s nice that there’s food so close now,” Dillett said.

The café is hosting a number of events in the coming weeks, including a Dylan Thomas centenary reading sponsored by the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, a concert by the Cantab Cowboys, and a storytelling night.

“A café has to be a place where you can linger, without having to rush out because you don’t have a place to talk–that was our inspiration,” Sorensen said.