BU’s Ode to Pavement Coffeehouse
Something has been missing on campus this fall and it has not gone unnoticed.
By: Giselle Wright
Across the street from Boston University’s College of Arts & Sciences lies Pavement Coffeehouse. Pavement was once home to the most delicious iced vanilla matcha latte in Boston and a cozy spot to camp out between classes. Prior to this fall semester, Pavement would be packed with students waiting for sandwiches, racing for empty seats for a study session, and picking up their morning coffee before a long day of classes. This luxury has been stripped clean from students as the coffeehouse is under a long construction period that began this past summer.
The construction was sparked by water damage from heavy rain that blankets Boston. These repairs uncovered an array of deeper structural issues that have made what seemed to be a quick fix span deep into the fall semester and, most likely, into the spring.
I spoke to some fellow students to gauge whether or not the absence of Pavement Coffeehouse has impacted their fall semester. Liz Luongo (CAS ’25) said, “The absence of Pavement Coffeehouse has impacted my daily routine as I no longer have a vegan breakfast option on campus.” Besides being a great spot to do homework, Pavement's menu is quite inclusive. With one of the very few inclusive food spots on campus now closed, it has become more difficult and expensive to eat while on campus. Pavement has vegan cheese options that make it easy and accessible for people with dairy allergies to pick up a quick, healthy, and somewhat affordable breakfast on campus.
In the long run, these renovations will save Pavement from further water damage that probably would have impacted other structural elements of the building. However, Pavement has also lost a lot of revenue due to these renovations. Hopefully, they include more seating so we no longer have to gamble to find an empty chair!
BU students wish Pavement a speedy recovery and hope they can reopen just in time for the spring semester.