The BU Pub is officially on sabbatical, and it is a hard-earned and well-deserved break.

On May 4, more than 300 students and alumni packed the basement space and its terrace to bid a temporary farewell. In 2018—as part of the transformation of the BU Castle into the Dahod Family Alumni Center—the Pub will reopen with a full kitchen, an expanded floor plan, and a four-season terrace.

A majority of the patrons at the night’s “last call” had made donations in support of the renovation. Many made their gifts through BU Crowdfunding, a platform launched in 2015 that has been used to fund more than a dozen student and faculty ventures, including the BU Dance Team’s trip to nationals, a 2016 EP for the Bostones, and a Sargent College professor’s creation of a novel videogame for use in speech therapy.

The Pub’s crowdfunding effort raised more than $20,000 by the time it ended in May. Depending on the size of their gift, donors were rewarded with Pub memorabilia—such as pint glasses, coasters, and even chairs—as well as entry into drawings to have a beer flight or a sandwich named for them. Richard Rabbett, Goldman School of Dental Medicine director of faculty academic services and operations, claimed the top thank-you gift with a donation of $5,000: a private party at the Pub when it reopens. The project prompted gifts from many first-time donors, including current students. Many took the chance to honor a friend, mentor, or classmate on the project’s online donor wall with their gift.

D. A. Whatley (Questrom’15), one of the project’s coleaders, gave a rousing toast at the event, celebrating that the initial fundraising goal of $10,000 was passed—and exceeded—in less than a week.

“We were overwhelmed by the generosity and excitement of our students and alumni,” says Andrew Parlato (CAS’14, COM’14,’17), BU’s assistant director of annual giving. “It was fabulous how our community rallied around a common cause and came out in droves to support the renewal of a fixture on campus—a place that has helped shape the BU experience for generations of students.”