What is in a Change?

Back in the early 1960s, Walker Memorial at MIT was a meeting place at lunch time and even for dinner. It was as close to High Table in an English University one could get, but no High Table. It was a watering hole, a meeting ground, a place to trade ideas, a eat food which was lower in carbs than what is there today.

Walker Memorial is now 100 years old and MIT is celebrating. They note:

For many of those who have passed through Walker Memorial over the past 100 years, the most enduring images remain the murals in Morss Hall, which were painted by Edwin Howland Blashfield of the Class of 1869. Created and installed between 1923 and 1930, their allegories of alma mater receiving homage from scientific and academic disciplines have watched over countless MIT community functions, from dining hall breakfasts to the Assembly Ball and more. For most MIT alumni and students, Walker Memorial holds indelible memories. A century after its completion, the tribute to President Walker has been realized in the best possible way — with the building continuing to serve as a community gathering place.

However it is currently planned to be turned  a building for the Music Department. MIT notes:

Walker Memorial Hall is a significant campus building that has served many roles on the MIT campus over its nearly 100-year history. Currently in need of substantial renovation, Walker appears to be a good match with the programmatic needs of the Music and Theater Arts Department – a community in search of a new home. MIT is currently studying the possibility of renovating Walker to co-locate the Music and Theater Arts Department with its teaching and extracurricular activities. The new center would allow MIT to explore new frontiers of artistic and technological discovery.

Now I am not against music, but the loss of this "watering hole" is significant. It has been replaced by Starbuckian hang outs featuring high carb feasts and uncomfortable seating. I think that it is a loss.. Just a thought.