In 1969, Trinity installed a lounge area for students known affectionately as the “Tiger’s Den.”
Later incorporated into the Coates Center complex in 1971, the space was part of an ambitious re-imagining of central campus, alongside a coffee shop, dining room, rathskeller (basement restaurant), and an expanded bookstore.
While a popular hangout spot for much of its existence, the Tiger’s Den struggled to find its own identity. Through the 1970s, 80s, the space shifted from a television lounge to include a series of arcade games, ping pong and pool tables. In the 1990s, smokers were kicked out of the den, and a coffeehouse was proposed for the space. This plan was eventually replaced with designs for a social lounge during the 1996-97 school year, which removed the video games and ping pong table.
"One of the things they want to do is to create a place where students can kick back, where they can hang out after a night class or a meeting," professor Coleen Grissom said of the renovations in 1997.
Today, the space is still a gathering spot but features additional seating capacity and technology used for programming and presentations.
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