Students go foodless in the Quad

While most students have been happy with the opening of Houston Market this fall, Quadrangle residents may have noticed that some of their other eating options have disappeared. McClelland Marketplace and the Quadrangle's commissary were closed over the summer. Officials said the food service locations were not necessary with the Houston Marketplace and Bistro now open in Perelman Quad. "We closed it [the Quad's food service] because we were opening up Houston," said Peg Lacey, managing director of campus dining. But this means that there are no vendors located within the dorms -- a situation students say is annoying. College senior Frank Canning, who works in McClelland, said the changes were frustrating. "I think it's really, really dumb that there's no place to get food in the Quad," he said. Although the lounge will remain, parts of McClelland Hall will eventually be turned into dorm rooms, officials said. Though the McClelland Marketplace was opened in 1997 to offset the closing of food vendors in the old Houston Hall food court, it was not known that this facility -- as well as the Quad's commissary, formerly located in the Graduate Tower -- would close when the new food court was opened. "In '97 we had no idea we'd be renovating the Quad," explained David Brownlee, director of college houses and academic services. Brownlee also said that Penn was displeased with the little amount of business that McClelland Market was generating. "I don't think it was enormously successful in recent years," Brownlee said. "I don't believe Dining Services was entirely satisfied with its performance." But Canning also commented on the emptiness of McClelland now that the Marketplace is gone. "No one's coming here anymore," he said. McClelland Hall will be renovated this summer as part of the ongoing process of updating the Quad's facilities. It had been rumored that McClelland would close entirely, but Brownlee denied that that was true. "It'll never close," he said. "The largest part of it will continue to be a giant, attractive lounge, both for house C [the currently unnamed middle house of the future Quad] and the rest of the Quad houses." The back portion of McClelland will be converted into dorm space for the new college house C, and new exercise, service and practice rooms will be added to the existing lounge space. The Quad renovations will make the facility a group of three college houses instead of the current four. It is not yet known what the names of the new houses will be. The Quad is currently comprised of Spruce, Ware, Goldberg and Community college houses. According to Brownlee, "All of the house C work will be done next summer."