Phineas closing at Easter in wake of £4.6M redevelopment project

Photography by Students’ Union UCL

The bar will be closed for refurbishment from the beginning of April as part of a significant renovation plan. 

The project, affecting multiple areas of UCL, will officially begin on February 4th, when the Union will start gathering feedback from students on what they want to see more of around the campus.

Phineas will be closed from April 4th and will reopen at the start of the next academic year in September.

The 1st and 2nd floors of the Lewis building, as well as the 1st floor of the Bloomsbury building, will also undergo improvements. The Union’s own office space, a floor up from Phineas, will become a teaching area for UCL’s Maths department.

A new Advice Service will also be created on the 1st floor of 25 Gordon St, replacing the current one in the Bloomsbury building, which will remain open until it moves in September.

The Union are working to find temporary homes for well-loved events typically held at Phineas, such as the weekly Jazz night and the monthly LGBT+ social night Glittoris. In a statement, they said: “We know for some, nothing will be able to replace the Phineas experience. The pain will be short lived and come September, Phineas will be better than ever.”

The project will start three weeks after the reopening of the Institute of Education bar, which was renovated over first term, and the creation of a brand new Pizza restaurant at 25 Gordon Street.