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Columbia College Cafes
As the sole food purveyor at Columbia College Chicago, Doejo co-founder Phil Tadros was tasked with overhauling the campus coffeeshops at the largest private arts and media college in the country.
Harvester, Press and Studebaker: On-campus cafes at Columbia College
Columbia College administrators contacted alumnus and multi-coffeeshop-owner Phil Tadros before the fall 2010 semester to bid for the opportunity to be the campus’s sole food purveyor. After winning the contract to overhaul Columbia’s coffeeshops, he made sure to keep the student government organization in the loop for feedback and only hire Columbia students and alumni for the three on-campus cafes.
Drawing inspiration from the historical South Loop buildings housing the three cafes, Tadros named the cafes after their building’s original turn-of-the-20th-century tenants, the Studebaker, Harvester and Press.
Tadros and Doejo hire and train baristas for each cafe and encourages students to take ownership of the spaces as extensions of campus life. They can post about campus interests and events and network with each other. And while adhering to each building’s unique and established aesthetic, Tadros seeks out locally owned coffee roasters like Metropolis Coffee Co., among other local roasters. Baked goods, sandwiches and salads are prepared on site as well at each cafe.
Build-out, building improvements and maintenance is also provided by Tadros, while local and sustainable design-build cooperative Sharchitecture supplied two of the cafes with repurposed wood countertops.
Harvester Cafe
600 S. Michigan Ave.
Columbia College’s main building and administrative center―now known as the Alexandroff Campus Center―houses classrooms, offices, studios, a theater, an extensive library and the Museum of Contemporary Photography. But originally this 15-story neoclassical building with a stunning Art Deco lobby, belonged to agricultural machine-makers, International Harvester Company when it was built in 1907.
Press Cafe
1104 S. Wabash Ave.
In the heart of Printing House Row, the 1104 Wabash Campus Building was originally built in 1891 for the American Book Company, a publishing center filled with printing presses. This landmark building, staying true to its heritage, now houses Columbia’s Center for Book and Paper Arts, among other departments.
Studebaker Cafe
623 S. Wabash Ave.
Built in 1895, the 10-story Columbia Wabash Campus Building was originally home to the Studebaker Brother’s carriage company. The Gothic Revival Chicago Commercial building is a prime example of the Chicago School of Architecture. It now houses classrooms, academic offices, art studios and gallery spaces for Columbia.
