Former UMaine hangout resurrected in Union

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After 18 months of hard work, planning and fundraising by the University of Maine’s Class of 1944, a $160,000 remodeling project has transformed the Stillwater Canal Co. Pub into the Bear’s Den. The bar is complete and was opened for public use Saturday evening.

The vision for the Den began when Al McNeilly, a member of the class of 1944, toured Memorial union and realized the popular Bear’s Den, formally located on the first floor of the Union, was no longer present. He was later informed that the Bear’s Den had to be taken out due to the expansion and renovation of the Union. McNeilly and the Class of 1944 then set out on a mission to bring back the Bear’s Den, which had been a hot spot on campus for 50 years.

McNeilly and the Class of 1944 decided to theme the new Bear’s Den as an old English style pub. Casteris El-Hajj of WBRC Architects worked with Bob Cote from Sullivan & Merritt to create an intimate and cozy setting for students to enjoy.

The Den is furnished with an oak-paneled bar and dark wood on both the floor and ceilings.

Although the Den has a new look, its menu will not vary from that of the Stillwater Canal Co. The Den will serve beer to customers of age, as well as munchies at the bar.

On-site work began on Dec. 15, 2003, while a significant quantity of off- site work was done. The Den is not completely finished yet, as a few finishing touches will be done over spring break.

“Approximately 85 percent of the project was completed over winter break and the other 15 percent will be completed over spring break,” Cote said.

This project isn’t the first the Class of 1944 has adopted.

“It has been a pleasure working with the Class of 1944; they are a very prominent class on campus,” said Danny Williams, director of the annual reunion giving at the Alumni Association.

The class of 1944 is also credited for the 1944 Building, as well as the Buchanan Alumni House and the Bodwell Lounge, which were donated by Robert Buchanan and Russ Bodwell of the class of 1944.

“We [the Class of 1944] hope it is a place that the students will enjoy and everyone can take pride in,” McNeilly said.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 19th, 2004, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.