AV俱乐部

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

鈥淲e get questions almost daily from students asking when it鈥檚 going to finally open, what it鈥檚 going to look like, when can we rent this place,鈥� says Kyle DeYounge, president of the AV俱乐部 Association of Graduate Students (DAGS).

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

鈥淲e can鈥檛 wait. I鈥檓 very excited, personally,鈥� says Mr. DeYounge. DAGS is aiming to open the place sometime in mid- to late March.

鈥淚f there is a delay, it鈥檒l be worth it,鈥� adds Mark Jurkovic, Grad House manager.

鈥淲hat I鈥檓 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,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd give the AV俱乐部 community what they鈥檝e been looking forward to.鈥�

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鈥攁 very important area鈥攖he 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 AV俱乐部 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. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal,鈥� 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.

鈥淭his is going to be a dream come true,鈥� 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.

鈥淥ur draught line up is a beer connoisseur鈥檚 dream.鈥�

On tap will be Coors Light, Canadian, Rickard鈥檚 Red, Rickard鈥檚 White, Rickard鈥檚 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鈥檛 excited about the Grad House before, you should be now.

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