The dedication of the Dining Commons celebrates a space that is the new heart and hearth of Hotchkiss, thanks to the generosity of donors.

Read the Summer 2026 Hotchkiss Magazine

View more photos of the Dining Commons dedication

By Catherine Calame

Dining at Hotchkiss holds countless memories for generations of community members. Connections over shared meals, celebrations, and everyday moments have long been central to the Bearcat experience.

Now, thanks to the overwhelming generosity of hundreds of donors, the new Dining Commons provides a large, bright space that is the new heart and hearth of the School.

The community gathered to celebrate the official dedication of the Dining Commons on May 1, 2026. The first meals were served on Dec. 1, 2025, and since then, the space has been praised for its cuisine and beauty.

“This event was long in the making. And by long, I mean decades,” Head of School Craig W. Bradley said at the dedication ceremony. “The original dining room was built in 1948. Since that time, the facility had not been renovated. With a few exceptions, the old Dining Hall was the only Dining Hall any living Hotchkiss graduates had experienced.”

Bradley explained that alumni provided input during the design of the new space. Their clear feedback was, “Do everything you can to preserve the character of the main Dining Hall. We have so many happy memories of sitting in that space among our dear friends with Maria Bissell Hotchkiss looking over us from above the fireplace.”

The thoroughly modern facility has indeed retained Hotchkiss’s character. Classical Georgian style brings light and warmth to a familiar and well-loved space that has retained many touches from the past: wood paneling, paintings, round tables and wooden chairs, flags representing the home country of every current Hotchkiss student, an expanded Lt. Col. James Lindsay Luke Foyer, and refurbished oak paneling commemorating decades of Hotchkiss award winners. It also features new meeting spaces and a large servery with many food stations.

“It is a familiar space, yet a new, larger, and brighter space,” Bradley said. “It is a space where current students continue to gather and deepen friendships. It is a place where teachers, coaches, advisors, and students sit down together and do their work. It is our most active and vital community space.”

Dining Commons features several commemorative plaques and etchings, including words of gratitude under a painting of Maria Bissell Hotchkiss that honor the 1,800 alumni, parents, and friends who made the original 1948 building possible.

Thankful for Community

“Tonight, we gather to thank the 218 donors who have made the new Hotchkiss Dining Commons a reality,” Bradley said at the ceremony. “Thanks to your tremendous generosity, as well as that of many other parents, alumni, and friends of the School, we have opened this stunning facility.”

Bradley acknowledged that there are many people to honor and thank for their generosity. In particular, he celebrated Smoky Bissell ’55, P’82, who served as board president from 1993-96. “His generosity in support of this project, and of the School, has been exceptional,” he said. Bissell Dining Hall is named after his father, Howard Bissell Jr. ’31, who gave his four sons a Hotchkiss education.

“We also thank all of the parents who gave so generously to the 2024 and 2025 senior parent gifts, and we thank all those whose names are engraved on plaques all around this space and those who have given anonymously,” Bradley continued. “And we would not be enjoying this lovely evening in the historic new Dining Commons, sitting within Bissell Dining Hall, alongside the Trustee Dining Room, were it not for Tom Edelman ’69, P’06,’07 and his herculean work on behalf of this School.”

Tim Sullivan ’81, P’13,’16, president of the Board of Trustees, expressed his gratitude to those involved in the Dining Commons project while also paying homage to Bradley for his decade of service to Hotchkiss. “Our campus truly has been transformed by this amazing space,” said Sullivan.

Bradley also thanked many alumni, faculty, and staff members who made this project possible, including Josh Hahn, assistant head of school and head of strategic initiatives, who led the project from the outset; John Grube ’65, P’00, a former trustee and longtime leader of the Building, Grounds, and Environment committee of the Board; and Alex Hurst ’97, Grube’s successor in that role. He also applauded members of the facilities, alumni and development, and CulinArt teams.

“So many individuals and teams made outstanding contributions, working late nights and over breaks to ensure that the Hotchkiss community would be well-cared for in this beautiful new facility,” Bradley said. “Welcome to the Hotchkiss Dining Commons, et bon appetit!”

Dining Commons Improvements

• Seating has increased from 342 to 525
• All new furniture, including tables, chairs, and booths
• New, modern servery and kitchen
• Spacious access points avoid overcrowding at peak times
• The new Trustee Dining Room expands seating capacity and brings more natural light into the space
• The Farman-Farmaian Dining Room, connected to the Lt. Col. James Lindsay Luke Foyer, expands capacity
• Complete overhaul of all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems
• Numerous collaboration rooms provide spaces for group study, classes, and meetings
• New student activity spaces on the lower level
• College Advising offices occupy the lower level
• Redeveloped lawn provides space for social gatherings and events
• The new southeast terrace has outdoor seating
• The new northeast entrance provides better connectivity to campus life
• The new south entrance connects to the restored and updated Lt. Col. James Lindsay Luke Foyer
• New trash/recycling and loading dock area
• A projection screen displays away games and events to support community and school spirit

Student Testimonials

“The new menu and servery are amazing because they offer many food options. The hot food menu varies, which I love, and it’s helpful that the supplementary stations—like the sandwich bar or the pizza oven—are consistent options. In addition, the Bissell Dining Hall is a beautiful space where the community loves to pass time together.”

— Pippa Clark ’28

“I remember one of the first days the Dining Hall was open, and it was also one of the first days snow began to fall in Lakeville. Watching this from the huge windows inside the servery was a beautiful moment, and it led me to really appreciate the space’s aesthetics. The pizza oven is simply incredible; day after day, I found myself going back to it, and yet I still never got tired of it. I’m looking forward to when we will meet again in this amazing space in the fall.”

— Cooper Grace ’27