Yes, Marist Once Had an On-Campus Bar

The History of “The Pub” at Marist 

Source: Marist Archives

In the 1980s, Marist College students could walk out of their dorm room in Champagnat and head down to the basement to find “the Pub,” the college’s on-campus bar. Whether students were stopping by for a quick beer with friends or listening to local bands and live music, the Pub was the hub of socialization on campus. 

Some nights, faculty could even be found chatting over a pint or two with students. 

“It was a really fun place, and students enjoyed going there,” Bob Lynch said, Marist’s Director of Student Activities. Lynch was a freshman mentor at the college when the Pub was open. “It was a highlight of student life, and it was just a place they could go for some fun.” 

Located in the basement of the Student Center, next to where the college’s bookstore once stood, the Pub was nondescript. It wasn’t fancy — unfurnished aside from a dozen or so tables, a jukebox in the corner, and a long, narrow bar. The space was dark and plain (after all, it was in the basement), but it was where every student at Marist went on the weekends — and often weeknights too. 

The consensus from those who attended Marist when the Pub was still operating, is that it brought life to the campus center, providing a community for students. “Things were different back then. Nobody had a car and we hardly ever went off-campus,” Valerie Hall said, member of the class of ‘86 and currently Marist’s Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship. “So everyone gathered at the Pub. There was a lot of camaraderie. We loved it.”

The legal drinking age in the early ‘80s was 19 years old, so most students could drink on campus as early as their freshman year. The Marist population was also significantly smaller than it is today. Everyone knew everyone, and everyone hung out at the pub.

The Marist “rathskeller” located in the basement of the Student Center. In 1980, it became known as “The Pub,” the college’s on-campus bar. Source: Marist Archives

It’s difficult for current Marist students to imagine what it’s like having a full-service pub operating on campus — in the Student Center no less. But regardless of the socialization aspect the Pub offered, it was also a safe place to drink. There was no need to get into a car and drive to one of the off-campus bars. And back then, there wasn’t Darby’s and Mahoney’s, but Skinner’s and The Brown Derby. Instead of leaving campus, students could instead go to the Pub and drink without worrying how they’d get home. They also could feel safe knowing there were people looking out for them, like Marist employees making sure they didn’t consume too much.

The Pub replaced the “Rathskeller,” a campus eatery and main gathering space for students in the same basement location that opened in 1966. It was renamed the “Foolish Fox” in 1980, although it was only referred to as “the Pub” from then on. 

“The conversation came up about creating a place where the Marist community could meet and have some time together,” Lynch said. “Where students, faculty, administration, and staff could all be in the same space and have good conversation.” Thus, the Pub was opened.

As one writer or the Marist Circle wrote in April of 1981, it was a “central part of [Marist], so much so that it probably [had] better attendance than most classes.” Pitchers of beer were only $2.00, bottles ranged from $0.50 to $1.00, a hamburger was $1.75, and french fries were $0.85. The Pub held “Community Hour” for students and faculty to enjoy beers together, as well as live entertainment from student performers on “pub nights.” 

In his first few years in his role as president of Marist, even Dennis Murray could be found there on occasion, saying hello to students if there was a special event happening. 

On Dec. 1, 1985, the legal drinking age in New York state was officially raised to 21. As a result, the Pub was forced to close its doors. The last night alcohol was served at the Pub was Monday, Nov. 25, 1985 — right before students went home for Thanksgiving break. When they returned, Marist would be a pub-less campus.

“I still remember that last night. It was bittersweet, and everyone wanted to get in and enjoy it for the last time,” Hall said. “But they were only going to let in a certain amount of people, so everyone was pressed up against these iron gates that closed at the top of the stairs waiting to get in.”

Lynch also recalls the Pub’s last night as well. “For all of the students, you had to be there. And the place was jammed,” he said. “It was a sad day — and I’m not saying that students were crying, but they felt like something was being taken away from them.”

In 2021, Marist doesn’t have a place for the community to meet, drink, and hang out with one another. No students are chatting over a pint with their professors, listening to student bands, or DJs. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic halting social life on campus, there isn’t a space on campus for students to enjoy the same fun-filled evenings that were once had at the Pub — having a beer and filling up on pub food.   

“It’s part of our college’s history, and a lot of our students learned a lot there,” Lynch said. “I think the Pub was a good place to learn about yourself and other people — and meeting people was always great. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll have something like it again.”