1945

Womens' Dining Hall

In the 1920’s, all women students “…were required to take their meals at the women’s dining room [in Larison Hall].” However, this dining room was so small that the women had “…to eat in two shifts.” Certain improvements had been made in food service for women before the construction of the new dining hall. In the early 1920’s, the kitchen and dish room on the first floor of the South Wing of Larison were renovated and enlarged, and a refrigeration plant replaced the old “ice box system.” This refrigeration system had separate compartments for meats, dairy products and produce. It also had “…sufficient ice-making capacity to take care of all ordinary demands for ice.”

The new dining hall building contained “serving and dish rooms between dining room and kitchen”, which were located above the underpass that separated the dining hall from Larison. The kitchen remained where it had been in the former Institute Building. After the construction of the dining hall, the University made improvements in the kitchen facilities: “The old kitchen was rearranged, greatly enlarged, and equipped with steam cookers, bake ovens, and numerous other pieces of modern equipment.”

Co-eds are enjoying a meal in the Womens' Dining Hall in 1944. When the building was constructed in 1928, three skylights were located in the ceiling, one of which is visible in this photograph. Meals were served "family style" with student waitresses bringing serving dishes to tables and removing the dishes and utensils after the women had finished eating.

"...were required to take..." MBU '19-'31, p. 108

"...to eat in two shifts" ib., p. 109

"...sufficient ice-making..." ib., p. 106

"serving and dish rooms..." ib., p. 109

"The old kitchen was..." ib., p. 110

The major source for the information on this page is the Memorials of Bucknell University, 1919-1931 (MBU '19-'31);