Koeppel Student Center

Koeppel Student Center, 2024. Photo credit: Amy FitzGerald

The Koeppel Student Center is located on the north side of campus, between the Borges Admissions Center and Hansen Hall. Once known as the Vernon Street Social Center or the Vernon Street Snack Bar, on October 14, 1989 it was dedicated to Bevin Koeppel and Alfred Koeppel, who served on the Board of Trustees and made many funding donations to the College over the years.

Planning for what is now the Koeppel Student Center began in 1985 in conjunction with the planning of what would become Hansen Hall. The project was designed by Farmington based architectural firm Russell, Gibson, von Dohlen, the same firm that designed renovations for Mather Hall in 1984. The new building was to serve as a “small satellite student center” which would accommodate the students living in the new dormitory on North Campus. During the 1980s, there were several new construction and renovation projects undertaken by the College to improve the quality of student life. The construction of the new student center and dorm building was expected to decrease congestion and crowding in Mather Hall and enrich the north end of campus.

The new student center was completed in the spring of 1988, furnishing the residents of the new dormitory with a snack bar just next door. The following fall, the Snack Bar opened for a meal window that coincided with the hours at the other two dining locations on campus. In addition, a meal plan option was unveiled that allowed students to use their meal cards at the Vernon Street Snack Bar in order to reduce overcrowding in Mather Hall and the Cave. It was also during this semester that the building was officially dedicated to the Koeppel brothers and an agenda of concerts, conferences, and receptions was devised to take place throughout the 1989-90 school year in the Center.

The Bistro after renovations in 1992. Photo credit: Trinity College Bulletin, 1992

The Koeppel Student Center’s cafeteria area was renovated in the summer of 1992 into the Bistro; these renovations were intended to create a more “comfortable and relaxing” space for students to gather for meals as well as musical performances, lectures, academic department meet and greets, and other community events. The Bistro, which replaced the Far Side Grill & Deli, was a joint collaboration between Trinity and Marriott Dining Services. Upon its opening the Bistro received enthusiastic approval from students; a Trinity Tripod article published after it opened praised its “restaurant atmosphere” accented by vases of flowers, gold and blue decorations, and quiet music playing in the background. The inauguration of the Bistro also allowed the expansion of the food service team working in the building from three to nine full-time employees. Carry-out service was introduced as a feature unique to the Bistro, making it very popular among students wishing to avoid long lines.

The summer of 1992 also brought new plans for programming in Koeppel Student Center to enhance the Center’s role in campus life and bring more activity to the north side of campus. Making use of its spacious restaurant atmosphere, Assistant Director of Mather Hall, April Brown came up with a plan for a series of musical performances and other cultural events taking place each week in the Bistro, as well as an effort to open the space to Hartford residents. The formation of the Koeppel Programming Board, comprised of students and faculty, began to roll out these plans by setting up time slots during which student performers could provide entertainment for Bistro patrons. Musical acts ranging from indie-rock student groups to a four-piece Brazilian band to Trinity’s own a capella groups were among the first featured in Koeppel Student Center musical performances. Starting in the fall of 1992, the Bistro extended its hours to be open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, offering “a way station for post-frat partiers and pre-late nighters with the munchies.” The spring semester of 1992 also featured a comedy series hosted in the Bistro on Friday evenings. The first show of the series, on January 26, 1993, featured former “Seinfeld” contributor Donald McEnery, who performed to a standing-room-only crowd of 250. There was even a point in 1995 when the Bistro started to serve beer to students of age 21 or older, after President Dobelle—with the idea that the Marriott team create a place for legal drinking on campus—responded to criticisms that the enforcement of the alcohol policy would drive students to drink off campus.

Since the 1990s, the Koeppel Student Center has remained a fixture in daily student life at Trinity. From hosting countless performances during its weekly music series, to being a place where students, faculty, and administrators converge, to being one of the more favorable dining venues since its creation, the Bistro has been a hub for entertainment and community on campus.