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How Whispers will look when renovations are complete in 2018.
Olin Library is undergoing a renovation that will make the campus hub even more accessible and enjoyable. Included in the renovation is the beloved Whispers Café. When it re-opens in spring 2018 along with the rest of the library, Whispers will include more seating and a view of new Newman Tower of Collections and Exploration that will run through the center of the building. The café has long been a central place for students, staff and faculty to meet, study or grab a coffee or baked good. Here, we look back at how a simple courtyard was transformed into a “hoppin‘” cybercafé.
The courtyard
Before Whispers, the space to the right of the library’s entrance was an open courtyard. In it was a large tree, some benches and a kiosk on which students could post flyers. In order to build Whispers, 5,000 square feet were enclosed. As an homage to the tree that originally occupied the courtyard, a handmade tree was built in the center of the café.
Crossroads
The open-air courtyard was a nice break space at the crossroads of campus. In fact, Crossroads was almost the cafés name, until the chancellor’s wife, Risa Zwerling Wrighton, suggested the name Whispers — a reference to the quiet library space, which would contrast with the new, busy café.
A day at the beach
Before Whispers and other renovations, students could sit on the roof of Olin. The area was covered in small stones. It was known to students as “the beach.” Stairs led up to the overhang where students would have lunch or lie in the sun.
Hot spot
Whispers opened in May 2004 with bakery treats and Kaldi’s coffee. It was intended to be a cybercafé, a place where students could stop in for a cup of coffee and surf the Web. It quickly became the highest grossing café in St. Louis, boasting more than 2,800 visitors a day. In 2006, Student Life called Whispers one of the hot spots on campus, describing it as “the most hoppin’ place in the library.” The paper said that visitors can see almost the entire university community if they sit in Whispers for a day.
