WHEN WE WERE NORMAL
A Historical Augmented Reality Walking Tour
Reservations and Waiters in the College Cafeteria
LOCATION: LOWER LEVEL NEAR THE BISTRO
All that remains of Palmer Hall are the inaccessible underground tunnels that once connected it to Thompson and Miller Halls. Students used these tunnels to travel between the buildings when the weather outside was less than ideal. The tunnel connected the original basement lunchroom in Thompson Hall to the larger dining hall in Palmer. Students did not have to go outside or, in some cases, leave their own building to get food.
The dining hall in Palmer, called “The College Cafeteria” was the main dining hall on campus after the 1913 completion of the building, which squeezed out the smaller Thompson and Miller lunchrooms. Until the Holmes Dining Hall opened in 1973, Palmer was the place to refuel between classes.
From top to bottom: Palmer dining hall, Miller dining hall, and Thompson dining hall
Residential and commuting students could dine in Palmer, but in the 1930s dining was gender segregated. Men's and women’s tables were located on different sides of the room. Even more, some students had to make reservations to eat in Palmer. The women living in Miller Hall though had a scheduled dining time.
The dining hall also created jobs for students to help them cover schooling expenses. Women could work as servers in the dining room during their second and third years at the school. Like a restaurant, the dining hall had servers, reservations, and sleek white tablecloths!
