Houston Hall celebrates 100th birthday in style

Pink and purple neon lights beckoned the University community to join the celebration inside Houston Hall, as its centennial celebration continued Saturday night with a House Party. "It's a celebration of the past and an expectation of the future as we look forward to the development of the Perelman Quad," said Lynn Moller, financial administrator of Student Activities. The Bowl Room was decorated with Houston Hall memorabilia including a slide show with pictures dating from Houston Hall's opening in 1896. "I can't believe there was a swimming pool where Burger King was," said Wharton senior Emma Vas. College sophomore Nik Tan said she thought it was interesting to see how other people have used Houston Hall in the past. "People always identify [Houston Hall] with themselves, but they don't realize that there were so many people before who identified this place as their own," she added. DJ Roger Culture, The Avalons and Spruce Street Revival provided musical entertainment. "I tried to get as much a diversity in types of music," said College senior and co-Chairperson of the Programming Committee Lija Bentley. She explained that DJ Roger Culture appealed to many minorities, while The Avalons featured surf music and Spruce Street Revival played a combination of blues, rock and fusion. "I'm having a ball," said Engineering junior Chad Dudek. "The Avalons are very cheery and upbeat for Houston Hall's 100th birthday celebration." Although more than 100 students listened to The Avalons, as of 11:50 p.m. only seven students were dancing to DJ Roger Culture's selections. Members of Spruce Street Revival, who followed The Avalons in the Hall of Flags, said they were excited to be part of the celebration. Guitarist Josh Kurland, who graduated from the University last year, said it was a pleasure to be able to give something back to the University. In addition to the musical entertainment, casino games were popular in the lobby. Moller handed out play money to gamblers. Students received $30,000 and could come back and receive an additional $30,000. "It's really nice to have games like poker, craps, roulette and blackjack at this celebration," said College junior Jessica Toney. "It gets students involved." College sophomore and Social Planning and Events Committee member Jamal Harris, who was manning the roulette table, said he enjoyed himself. "If the doctor thing doesn't work out, I could always run a roulette table," he said. Kim Allen, co-chairperson of the centennial celebration and assistant director of Student Life, Activities and Facilities, said she was thrilled with the turnout. "I feel like there are a lot of students here," she said. "People are having a great time." Dudek summarized the meaning of the celebration. "As long as you are wacky as you celebrate Houston Hall's birthday, it's all good," he said.