Designed and built by Perry, Shaw, Hepburn, and Dean, Mugar Hall was constructed to connect with Goddard Hall, already in use by the Fletcher School. Mugar, built on the former site of Dean Hall, was to provide extra space for the Fletcher programs, including expanded classroom area, dining facilities, study space, and part of Ginn Library. Mugar also became home to Pound Hall, a graduate dining hall that closed in the late 1990s. During the construction of the Cabot Intercultural Center in the early 1980s, Mugar underwent major renovations to expand library and study space.

In 1981, Mugar Hall was at the center of a campus controversy after a student group calling itself the Internationalist Student Front painted graffiti on the front of the building the night before a trustee meeting. Using slogans such as "Fletcher = US Fascism," the group attempted to spark campus political discussion. Instead, many viewed the act as nothing but destructive vandalism, and a trustee went as far as to compare it to graffiti on the New York subways, claiming, however, that it was not as artistic.

In 1988, Trios Restaurant opened in Mugar Hall, providing students with an alternative to dining hall fare. As of 2005, the restaurant is now called Mugar Cafe.

Also as of 2005, Mugar Hall is home to numerous classrooms, reception rooms, the John and Helen Mugar Graduate Student Computer Lab, part of Ginn Library, the Mugar Cafe, and the Wren Faculty Dining Room.

Source: TD, OBS

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