Archives Gold #13: 50 Objects for UMBC's 50th

Thu, 24 Dec 2015 17:59:18 -0500
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Special Collections continues our archival project Archives Gold: 50 Objects for UMBC's 50th, a special series showcasing 50 different objects that tell the story of UMBC. This week we present an ad in The Retriever for the student lounge and bar The Rathskeller.

The Retriever, Volume 15, Number 19, March 11, 1981. UPUB- R4. University Publications, University Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)

The Hillcrest Building, UMBC's first administration building, was a center for student recreational activities including sororities, fraternities, game clubs, and The Rathskeller, also known as "The Ratt," a student lounge/ bar situated in the basement of Hillcrest. The Rathskeller was open for 34 years, providing UMBC students with a place for drinking, dancing, eating, and hanging out outside of classes. It eventually closed in 2000, shortly followed by the demolition of the Hillcrest Building in 2007 to make way for new parking spaces and residential halls.

Learn More:

-History of UMBC Research Guide

-University Archives Webpage

-Photograph in The UMBC Retriever (Volume 7, Number 4) of a Student Pouring Beer at The Rathskeller

-Article in The UMBC Retriever (Volume 8, Number 18) Describing Renovations Done to The Rathskeller in 1974

-Article in the UMBC Magazine on the Hillcrest Building and its Early Function as a Structure for the "Criminally Insane"