The life span of a campus pub in Berkeley is, apparently, 50 years.
The Bear's Lair has been closed as part of a renovation of the Lower Sproul Plaza area on the UC Berkeley campus, according to this San Francisco Chronicle article.
Eshleman Hall will be razed and the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union, where the Lair was located, will be rebuilt, along with other renovations, the Chronicle reports.
The Lair survived campus turmoil of the 1960s and '70s, drop-in visits by campus mascot Oski, changes of management and who knows how many changes of Berkeley chancellors, but not, apparently, the tastes of current students.
"We wanted to create a campus living room, a place where students from all majors can meet 24/7, relax, collaborate, study, hang out," the Chronicle quotes student body President Connor Landgraf as saying. Students interviewed for the Chronicle article cited the need for "safe, modern" facilities.
According to the official history on the Bear's Lair website, the student-owned pub has been located in the MLK Jr. Student Union since 1962. it was renovated in 2000. Along with commercial and artisal beers, it served its own houses brews, made in San Leandro.
Share your memories of the Bear's Lair in the comments section below.
