Commons and Café Opening

The new main entrance to Hutchins Hall, accessible through the Robert B. Aikens Commons, is located on Monroe Street. Architects made every effort to match its exterior to that of Hutchins Hall, creating a seamless look.

Commons and Café Opening

The main level of the Aikens Commons, with its gleaming glass and steel roof, is ready to welcome visitors before the grand opening.

Commons and Café Opening

Throngs of students pile into the Aikens Commons to get a look at the new facility.

Commons and Café Opening

Natural light from the glass roof highlights the lively crowd.

Commons and Café Opening

Dean Evan Caminker welcomed attendees to the Aikens Commons and the Kirkland & Ellis Café, and acknowledged those whose planning and contributions made the new facilities possible.

Commons and Café Opening

Dean Caminker's remarks were met by a rapt audience. The Aikens Commons is a blend of the old and the new.

Commons and Café Opening

Students wasted no time sampling the tasty fare provided by the Kirkland & Ellis Café, which is operated by Picasso Café, Inc.

Commons and Café Opening

Attendees walked away with a mug as a memento of the occasion.

Commons and Café Opening

An awestruck student takes in the new surroundings.

Commons and Café Opening

The Kirkland & Ellis Café was made possible by a generous gift from alumni partners at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, the Kirkland & Ellis Foundation, and William R. Jentes, '56, a retired K&E litigator.

Commons and Café Opening

Though it has only been open a few days, students have claimed the Café as a prime meeting spot.

Commons and Café Opening

The stairs leading from the main level of the Aikens Commons to the lower level, which is designed to meet the students' social and organizational needs.

Commons and Café Opening

Plenty of seating is available for students.

Commons and Café Opening

Students make themselves at home in their new surroundings. These fun, yet functional, seating areas make for a desirable spot to gather.

Commons and Café Opening

Group studying is already the norm in the Aikens Commons. The lattice used in these seating areas came from an elm tree on a former grassy spot where the Aikens Commons was built. The elm tree was infested with ants and had to be cut down.

Commons and Café Opening

Looking in on the main level of the Aikens Commons from Hutchins Hall.

Commons and Café Opening

The Aikens Commons and Kirkland & Ellis Café are the first common gathering spaces for students, faculty, and staff at the Law School.

A GRAND OPENING  The Michigan Law community celebrated a new milestone as the eagerly anticipated Roberts B. Aikens Commons—the beautiful new gathering space for students, faculty, and staff—and the adjoining Kirkland & Ellis Café, opened September 7 to great fanfare. Highlights of the event are available in this image gallery. For more facts about the Aikens Commons and the Kirkland & Ellis Café, visit our interactive feature.
Photos by Philip Dattilo

To navigate, please click on the right and left arrows in the image.
If you would like to see all the slides, click "View All" on the top right corner.