Popular dive bar The Hut to close
Social scene for students at Santa Clara University to shut down in December
SANTA CLARA — The Hut, a beloved dive bar, which for more than 70 years has served as the main social scene for Santa Clara University students, will close its doors in De- cember.
Vice President for University Relations Jim Lyons announced the bar’s closure in an email to students and faculty Wednesday evening, saying, “The closing of The Hut will mark the end of an era.”
Lyons said business owner Mike O’Brien opted not to renew his lease and will likely close the business before Christmas. The university was unaware of the closure until a few days ago, when O’Brien contacted the administration to formally share the news. But Lyons said school officials were aware that the business owner had been considering the idea for several months.
“This is devastating to the university,” Lyons said. “Nobody wants to see a part of the Santa Clara tradition disappear. It’s an incredible part of the Santa Clara history. All you have to do is walk in there and look at all the dollar bills from the ceiling.”
Tucked away on a quiet corner at The Alameda and Franklin Street, just a few hundred feet from the campus, The Hut has formed a fixture of campus life, serving generations of students. The bar’s walls and ceiling are covered with thousands of $1 bills, a tradition kept alive by Santa Clara seniors who wrote their name on a bill and pinned it to the wall. Many returned as alumni to add their business card to the same dollar. On graduation days, the bar hosted “Dads and Grads,” where hundreds of students shared a drink with their pops be- fore receiving their diploma.
Hundreds of students expressed sadness and outrage on social media following the announcement, sharing memories of the crowded, charmingly worndown bar that was cherished by many.
“This has been a special place to many of us over the years,” the university’s alumni association said in a brief statement on Facebook. A change.org petition, which called for The Hut to be saved, had gathered nearly 1,350 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.
Soon after Lyons announced The Hut’s closure, rumors began swirling that the university was set to purchase the property at 3200 The Alameda. But the school has shut down the rumors, saying it’s not interested in the property and has no plans to purchase it for development.
Lyons said the administration just finished the university’s master plan and that “we have no development plans for that piece of land.”
The university does plan to purchase several relics within The Hut, including the classic wooden bar, signage and tables to possibly display at future events or at a venue. It also plans to host a string of “Last Call” events and to create an online memory book in which students can share their memories of the bar. Several calls to The Hut went unanswered Thursday.