Wentworth House

• Opened in 1961 as the new student centre to serve a rapidly growing student body (replacing the Alumni Memorial Building which had opened in 1951 for the same purpose)

• The Phoenix was established on the upper level of Wentworth House in 1969. The MSU's bar, The Downstairs John, opened in the basement in 1971.

• A patio was added to The Phoenix in the mid-1990s, located on the roof of part of the lower level of Wentworth House.

• Wentworth House was demolished in 2013 to make way for L.R. Wilson Hall (Opened in 2016).

The Refectory

• One of the campus' five original buildings opened in 1930.

• It served as the dining hall (genders segregated) for students.

• The basement contains the boiler that provided heat to campus buildings.

• The basement was later home to MSU's second bar "The Rathskeller" (November 1968 to April 2001) The basement was later taken over by the University's Hospitality/Food Services operation and turned into "Bridges" (an all-vegetarian eatery opened in January 2005).

• In 2007, the City of Hamilton gave six McMaster buildings heritage status - The original five opened in 1930 (University Hall, Hamilton Hall, Edwards Hall, Wallingford Hall, and The Refectory), and the Alumni Memorial Building opened in 1951.

The Phoenix

• A capital fee was implemented in the 1990s to set aside money to fund a new location for The Phoenix.

• There was some talk, off and on, about including The Phoenix and the GSA in MUSC, but the University wouldn't commit to the cost payable by the GSA (both capital and ongoing operations).

• Eventually, the details were hammered out to retrofit the above-ground portion of The Refectory for The Phoenix and the GSA's administrative offices.

• The Phoenix opened for business in The Refectory in September 2012.

• McMaster University’s Home of The Perfect Pint!

Our Team

Here at The Phoenix Crafthouse & Grill, our amazing team is made up predominantly of students. Over the years, we have had the opportunity to work with countless individuals from all walks of life, who are directly involved with the McMaster community. This has given us the ability to cater our approach and services to members of this amazing community at McMaster University.