For some University upperclassmen, there is a dirt lot on Alderman Road that just can't be replaced by the new Observatory Hill dining hall.
While many upperclassmen are torn between mourning the loss of the Tree House and admiring the features of the new facility, only a select few first years are able to compare the new and old versions of O-Hill.
First-year College student Lauren Pearson was able to recall the old O-Hill from her visit a few years ago.
"It looks a whole lot better than it used to," Pearson said.
Other first years, although they are left without something to contrast, said they are quite impressed with the new dining hall as well.
"It's really spacious and well air-conditioned," first-year College student Hannah Peria said.
First-year College student Kate Leeming agreed, adding that she liked the modern design.
"The food is so good, and there's enough variety that it's hard to choose," Leeming said.
First-year Engineering student William Barnhardt mentioned the benefits of the upper-level seating area.
"The outside view from the top [level] is nice," Barnhardt said.
Yet some students, both first years and upperclassmen, encountered some problems with the layout of the new building.
Barnhardt pointed out that there are no clear lines of traffic and others mentioned the difficulty in carrying a tray up and down stairs to reach the top level seating area.
"I'm kind of ambivalent about [the new O-Hill]," fourth-year College student Ken Alston said. "It's brighter, bigger and has more technology, but what I don't like is that it still gets as crowded as the old O'Hill. If you walk up the wrong side of the stairs, you get someone yelling at you to walk back down and come up the other way like you're in kindergarten."
Fourth-year College student Danielle Buford said she understood the difficulties people were having with the new dining hall, but she attributed those to the newness of the structure.
"Once people get familiar with it, since it's new to everybody, people will know exactly where to go," Buford said. "Give it a month or two, it'll calm down."
Yet some upperclassmen are still particularly disappointed with the loss of the Tree House.
"For upperclassmen, we're still nostalgic for how things were, especially those late nights at the Tree House, which you can never replace with Crossroads," Alston said.
Buford expressed the same sentiment, but overall, she said she thinks the improvements were worth the loss of old landmarks.
"At first I was upset there was no Tree House -- that had a lot of memories for us -- but I definitely think U.Va. has stepped up in terms of dining."
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