A brief history of El Table

The original El Table was a table near the elevator at the west end of the main floor of College Hall, circa 1904. Though it is uncertain when the name "El Table" first appeared, it is derived from a shortened version of "elevator table." When College Hall burned in 1915, a new El Table rose from the ashes, appearing by the left entrance to the library. At the time, it appears that El Table was primarily a bulletin board for posted notices of events and offers to exchange items in those days before FirstClass!

In the spring of 1931, Green Hall opened, the administration building on the Chapel Lawn was demolished, and El Table found a new home in the basement of Founders. The 1931-1932 handbook for freshmen listed El Table as a place to buy food, as well as an information exchange and a place to vote and buy subscriptions. Coffee was added to the El Table menu in 1954.

Today El Table is a student-run cooperative café serving sandwiches, salads, soups, and snacks. We are still located in the basement of Founders, and we still serve coffee, though with flavors like Pumpkin Spice, French Toast, and Gingerbread, we imagine that our coffee is a little wilder than the coffee of El Table's past.

Created by: Anna K. Johns and Jen Feldman
Expires: 01 June 2008