Mystery of the missing Rathskeller sign

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Rathskellar_sign.jpg” caption=”The Rathskeller sign once hung above the stairs leading down to the Bridges Cafe in the Refectory. Photo courtesy of Ryan Moran.”]The sign that once hung above the entrance to McMaster's Rathskeller student pub has disappeared. The painted wood sign was last seen in March hanging on the wall above the stairs leading down to the Bridges Cafe in the Refectory.

“The sign is very important, not just to the MSU and its history, but also to McMaster's history,” says McMaster Students Union president Ryan Moran. “A truly huge number of students used to frequent the Rat when it was a pub. Many have fond memories there, whether it was a break between classes or seeing the Barenaked Ladies perform in the early days of their career. It was a hub of the on-campus social scene.”

The sign was approximately 88 inches long and 40 inches wide. The Rathskeller, the first student owned and operated pub in Ontario, closed in 2000 after more than 30 years of operation.

“The sign represented a milestone in not only the MSU's history, but also in the history of the Ontario student movement, its unions and associations, and the services they were able to provide to the students that they represented,” says Moran.

Anyone who knows what happened to the sign is asked to contact Moran at ext. 23885 or msupres@msu.mcmaster.ca.