Harvard’s ‘Cheers’

Since opening in 1996, Loker Commons has been called many things. Within a few months of opening it was “struggling.” Within a few years we had called it a place where “student initiatives…go to die.” Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 told The Crimson it was a “huge failure.” But with the opening of the Cambridge Queen’s Head Pub last weekend, Loker Commons can, for the first time since its opening bash 11 years ago, be called a rousing success. This time, we are confident that it will remain so.

Upon walking in the door, it is immediately apparent that Loker Commons has finally outgrown its awkward phase. Gone are the arbitrary iMacs and math CAs in perplexing hats; they’ve been replaced with leather couches and a bar. The large, handsome space is replete with sturdy booths and flat-screen TVs. Each nooks and cranny has its own peculiar charm. One corner of the room is dedicated to games. Another corner has a small library. Yet another is home to Harvard’s trophy collection.

Its walls are adorned with Harvard curios in just the right proportion of nerdiness and pretension. So if you were wondering over buffalo wings when Harvard last won first place in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematics Competition, the pub can tell you—in plaque form (it was in 2005). And if you are curious about at what hours women could visit the River Houses seven decades ago, parietal rules are on the wall—but thankfully not in force. Also hanging is a giant register of every Game and its score, revealing that Harvard holds sway o’er old Eli with startling inconsistency.

The Pub was overwhelmingly popular at its opening, no doubt buttressed by hoards of curious undergrads and the promise of special events. The live music helped to make last weekend an unqualified success, as one hopes it will continue to do for years to come.

But this discussion must reach for loftier climes and address the Pub’s lifeblood: its beer. The bar serves Harpoon IPA, Guinness, and Bud Light, among others, in two-dollar pints. Also on tap is house beer Harpoon 1636, which project manager Zachary A Corker ’04 rightly referred to as a “truly ambrosial brew.” It’s a heavier ale, not unlike Newcastle Brown, and an excellent opportunity to gloat to your friends at state school until they begin to hate you.

We only hope the Pub’s popularity persists. Much of its work is already done: it’s gorgeous, has cable, and offers up cheap brews in a convenient location. However, it is important that the College continues to schedule diverse and entertaining events in the space to draw undergraduates and to make it the bustling social center it can—and should—be.

Much of the recognition for the Pub’s nascent success goes to the administrators who were instrumental in making it happen. Former University President Lawrence H. Summers and former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences William C. Kirby provided funding and support. Dean Gross has been among the pub’s most enthusiastic proponents and planners, while Corker has dedicated his life to Loker for nearly three years.

It’s early yet, but it seems as if the Queen’s Head will further augment the long-term legacies of these administrators. We hope their successors take note of what can be accomplished at Harvard by taking initiative. After all, the idea of a pub to revitalize Loker was first proposed a decade ago, but it took this motley crew of University Hall denizens to bring it to fruition.

So farewell to the hopeless Loker. The makeover is complete and the Pub delightful. One cannot dwell for long on Harvard’s lack of a student center with a pint of 1636 in hand and a shuffleboard tourney brewing.