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Section of the new seating available at Murphy's Pub. Photo by Brad Thorp

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Murphy's Pub »
Address: 604 E. Green St. Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (217) 352-7275
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Murphy’s Pub may look nearly the same from the outside, but, as patrons have been realizing for the last few weeks, the familiar Green Street attraction and perennial selection for best on-campus bar looks somewhat different than it ever has in its more than 40 years of existence. As anticipated, Murphy’s expanded into the old confines of the Bar Giuliani coffee shop in late September adding more seating and standing room, Green Street window frontage, pool tables, and, most importantly, a second full bar complete with brand new flat screen tvs for game day or any day.

Reactions to the new expansion by UIUC students seem to be mostly positive. Some bar-goers, like Kris Midgely, Senior in ACES, lament the loss of Bar Giuliani. “I used to go there a lot to work on my laptop,” says Midgely, “but I like to come here [to Murphy’s] to hang out so I guess it works out.” Many patrons are excited about the added room and increased bar service. Cory Crowe, Senior in Engineering, commented about the enhanced bar accommodations, saying, “Hell yeah, I love it. I hate lines.”

Any place that has been a community mainstay for more than a generation develops certain traditions that change potentially threatens. Certainly the addition bears some minor stylistic changes, but it appears to have maintained the overall atmosphere of the establishment, and the old Murphy’s is very much intact. John Mikolay, Senior in LAS, liked Murphy’s in its old incarnation, but says, “I appreciate the new space. I’m glad they found a way to do this without ruining the old feel.” The expansion of Murphy’s definitely puts a new spin on an old hang out, but, as the tabletops attest less than a month into this new era, engravers have already put their mark on the pub landscape for years to come.