Opening soon

Have you felt a little Grad House deprived since the old one closed last April? Get your friends and beer steins ready – the much anticipated new Grad House is about to open.

“We get questions almost daily from students asking when it’s going to finally open, what it’s going to look like, when can we rent this place,” says Kyle DeYounge, president of the Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students (DAGS).

Although the completely renovated building is painted a familiar dark green shade, this Grad House is bigger and better.

“We can’t wait. I’m very excited, personally,” says Mr. DeYounge. DAGS is aiming to open the place sometime in mid- to late March.

“If there is a delay, it’ll be worth it,” adds Mark Jurkovic, Grad House manager.

“What I’m looking forward to the most is the finished product, where we can start turning it into the hub of the university, which is what we want to do,” he says. “And give the Dalhousie community what they’ve been looking forward to.”

As you enter the spiffy new pad, the main hangout area is to the left, with a slightly raised stage dominating the section near the large front windows. A wall to the right is embedded with three gorgeous columns of thick, warped glass. A decorative fireplace at the far end acts as a partial wall to the second area—a very important area—the bar.

Mr. Jurkovic says the place will be made comfortable with completely new furnishings, including the patio out back. Although the wall behind the bar is currently a deep red, DAGS is considering repainting it in Dalhousie colours, gold and black.

One significant difference between old and new is that the new Grad House has a walk-in fridge close to the beer taps. “It’s a big deal,” says Mr. Jurkovic. Before, they had to use Pepsi coolers to keep the kegs cold, which meant they did not always have enough time to chill.

“This is going to be a dream come true,” says Mr. Jurkovic, clearly thrilled about the new quality of beer that the Grad House will offer. To top it off, Molson donated $2,500 light-up beer taps.

“Our draught line up is a beer connoisseur’s dream.”

On tap will be Coors Light, Canadian, Rickard’s Red, Rickard’s White, Rickard’s Dark, Garrison Raspberry Wheat, Garrison Nut Brown and Garrison Hopyard Pale.

The food will be another key attraction. Creperie Mobile will be providing the eats, from sweet and savoury crepes to highly requested samosas.

The upstairs is also an upgrade from the old location. Mr. Jurkovic no long has a cubby hole for an office. Formerly two rooms, the boardroom is large and can be rented to societies or made available for catered functions.

The student services room has managed to retain a token from the old Grad House, as salvaged cupboards line the wall.

Lots of windows throughout the upper floor light up the rooms, especially as the outdoor light reflects off the freshly painted cream-coloured walls.

If you weren’t excited about the Grad House before, you should be now.

Oh yes, and remember the old Grad House’s cramped bathrooms? Well, the new ones are humungous.