Evanston’s 1800 Club, a popular hangout for Northwestern students for the past eight years, has opened its doors with a new name, a new interior and a fresh attitude.
Under new management since winter break, “Hundo” will soon be named “1800 Club – The Delta House” after the Delta House fraternity featured in John Landis’s comedy film Animal House.
“It’s a college bar with a local flavor,” said Larry Corcoran, an Evanston resident who has been helping to put the changes in place.
For the past three weeks, 1800 Club has been welcoming its customers to a renovated interior, including new tables, chairs and high-top tables. The old pool table has been replaced with two permanent beer pong tables intended for regular charity events, owner Tony Anton said. The Delta House will also host theme parties and karaoke contests.
“We want a university-friendly establishment that has competitive pricing and quality service,” Anton said. “We realize the economy is tough on people right now.”
According to Corcoran, the Delta House is more than a facelift. In addition to a new menu and a wider beer selection, the club is focusing on a more “customer-friendly,” “meet-and-greet” and “professional” attitude, he said.
The club will also have new operating hours to serve the faculty and staff of Northwestern’s History Department, which has recently moved to the 1800 Sherman Ave. building that hosts the Delta House. With 16 months left on its lease, the club will continue to take up space in the Northwestern-owned building despite the building’s academic function.
“We want the club to be an amenity to the building,” Anton said. “We plan on running a respectable place. We are going to be strict on IDs and how our clients behave.”
Three days into Winter Quarter, the club’s Northwestern clients already notice the changes.
“It definitely looks a bit cleaner,” Weinberg senior Kathleen Wolf said. “I think it represents Northwestern really well now.”