The Collier House reopened Tuesday after being closed to the public for nearly nine months. The historic building at the center of campus is home to three new eateries, all under the management of University Housing.
The housing department took over the food service because the previous managers, Faculty Club, could no longer operate it.
“They didn’t want to lose a place to eat on campus,” said Collier House manager John Sargeant. “We weren’t willing to spend much money to get the place up and running.”
The University stepped in and footed the $46,159 bill, adding a new deck and a wheelchair accessible entrance, repairing some of the building’s downspouts and restroom fixtures, and improving the kitchen to make it ready for the new food service.
“It was rotting. It needed to be done,” said Dan Williams, University vice-president for administration. “The University is the steward of this very historic building.”
Williams said he was pleased to have a place on campus where students, faculty and staff can gather. The Victorian-style house was traditionally a place for meetings, gatherings and parties in 1895 when physics professor George H. Collier sold it to the University for $5,000. It also served as a library and the official lodging for University presidents from 1900 to 1941.
Downstairs in Coffee at Clancy’s, the wood-paneled, pub-like cafe, customers can choose from a variety of drinks and food items, including a waffle bar and sandwiches.
“I like the fact that they have specialty coffees that you can buy on your meal card,” said Lisa Andritch, a sophomore sociology major.
Students on the University Housing meal plan can spend their points here the same way they do at the dining halls.
“Students don’t have to go all the way to Carson [Hall] or the Grab ‘n Go for lunch,” Sargeant said.
At the stroke of 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, Coffee at Clancy’s goes from being merely pub-like to being an actual pub and serving alcohol. From then until 8 p.m., the space becomes Clancy Thurber’s Bar, serving Oregon wines and a selection of beers ranging from $1.50 pints of Coors Lite to Guiness Stout at $2.50 a pint. Chicken wings, hot dogs and vegan chili round out the pub menu.
A more elegant fare is presented on the white linen-covered tables in the main dining room of the Collier House. Chef Donald Burton prepares fresh entrees ranging from a smoked salmon fettuccine to a braised organic tofu cutlet.
Burton, who has been a chef in Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area, plans to accent the menu with ethnic and vegetarian choices. Items will be rotated frequently to accommodate patrons’ tastes and take advantage of fresh, locally-grown produce, when in season.
For $4.50, those in a hurry can sample two soups, three salads and bread at the dining room’s buffet.
The new hours at the Collier House, open Monday through Friday, are: dining room- 11 a.m to 2 p.m.; Coffee at Clancy’s- 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Clancy Thurber’s Bar- 3 to 8 p.m.