Grad House on the move

DAGS President Patrick Bonnick. (Bruce Bottomley Photo)

There have been a lot of changes on campus over the summer. But the change most students have noticed is the large patch of green space where the Grad House used to be.

Last month, demolition crews took down the aging Grad House on the corner of University Avenue and LeMarchant, in preparations for its move to a new house across the street at 1252-1254 LeMarchant Street. Unfortunately, renovations to the new facility are only now getting underway, meaning that there won’t be an open Grad House for the fall term.

“It’s been slower than we would have hoped, but we’re glad it’s moving forward,” says Patrick Bonnick, president of the Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students (DAGS). “Currently the timeline we’re looking at is for renovations to be finished around the end of November, with our grand opening shortly thereafter or first thing in the winter term.”

The new space will be a bit more intimate and will also feature a new dining option on campus. Crêperie Mobile, whose crêpes are a hit every Saturday at the Halifax Farmer’s Market, will be setting up shop in the new location.

But DAGS recognizes that the Grad House was a favourite haunt of many students, faculty, staff and alumni and are doing their best to make sure that it maintains its classic feel. Several features from the old building – including lamps, furniture and light fixtures – are moving over to the new building.

“We want to keep that ‘home away from home,’ that welcoming feel to the place,” says Mr. Bonnick. “We want that personal connection people have to transfer from building to building, for sure. And we’re optimistic that it will.”