The space in the basement of Thayer Dining Hall formerly occupied by the Hovey Grill will remain closed indefinitely because its safety features do not meet regulatory codes, said Tucker Rossiter, director of the Dartmouth Dining Services.
The Hovey Grill's safety features, including its "fire sprinkling systems, ventilation systems and lack of copper lighting are now highly outdated" and "fall short of code guidelines," Rossiter said.
He said it "would cost [DDS] in excess of $75,000" to renovate the space -- money it could not afford to spend, considering its recent financial difficulties.
He said the Hood Museum could also pay for repairs, but the $75,000 estimate does not include the cost of converting the Grill into any other type of establishment, such as an eatery or dance club.
The Hovey Grill project is a lower priority than larger facilities' projects such as the new $19 million psychology building -- Moore Hall -- and the soon to-be-built Berry library, Hood Director Timothy Rub told The Dartmouth last February.
The Hood Museum became responsible for the space because its walls feature controversial murals painted by Walter Humphrey '14.
The Grill's "Hovey Murals," have been covered by removable panels since 1983.
The paintings depict the College's founder, Eleazor Wheelock, with intoxicated, naked Native American men and women and the "500 gallons of New England rum" referred to in a famous College song.
The murals illustrate the words to the song "Eleazar Wheelock," composed by Richard Hovey of the class of 1885.
Pressure to cover the murals mounted when the College's Native American population grew in the 1980s.
But Native American Program Director Michael Hanitchak told The Dartmouth in 1997 that even though the murals were "distinctly racist and sexist" pub art, they still have a place in art history.
Until three or four years ago, "the murals would be uncovered during each commencement because the alumni liked them so much," Rossiter said.
He said this tradition has ended, and the Hovey Grill now is used for miscellaneous storage space.
Rossiter said the large centrally located space, "could serve a variety of useful purposes for the College."
"It's a shame [the space remains vacant,]" he said.
The Grill has been unused since it was replaced by the Lone Pine Tavern in 1994.
