Letter to the Editors
In response to the Voice’s January 25 article “College looks to purchase the Shack” & the February 8 editorial “College’s Shack treatment unfair.”
To the Editors,
There have been a couple of factual errors in your recent coverage of The Shack, which I would like to correct, because it’s important that the campus community have accurate information on this subject.
First, a bit of background: The building in which The Shack is located has been owned for decades by the Syrios family, who also were the original proprietors of the restaurant. Following the death of Anna Syrios last summer, the family approached the College about the possibility of purchasing the property. Although we had no specific plans for it, of course we were interested because of its location. We signed an agreement with the Syrios family to purchase the property once all legal issues between them and the current tenants, who have operated the restaurant for the past couple of years, are resolved.
In an effort to assist in an amicable resolution, the College offered the tenants a new lease. The lease does not require them to bring the building up to code. It simply requires that they perform normal maintenance and repairs on the portion of the building that they rent: the restaurant. Nor do we plan to tear down the building. The two apartments upstairs could be useful for visiting faculty, and we are open to the ground floor remaining a restaurant, which is why we offered the current tenants a new lease, and why we continue to be willing to discuss lease terms with them.
Sincerely,
John Hopkins
Associate Vice President for College Relations and Marketing