Why...does Tolentine Hall have a mezzanine level?

 As if the voyage up to your first intro to psychology class could have been any more exerting or confusing at 9:30 a.m., you also had to fall prey to the deceitful mezzanine level. What is that level used for anyway?

Michael Brown, whose mezzanine level office you pass on your hike up the side entrance stairs of Tolentine Hall, can confirm from photographs he has seen that the first two floors of Tolentine used to be a high-ceiling dining hall for the seminary students who resided in the building. Brown, who has been teaching psychology at Villanova for 25 years, and his fellow professor, Charles Folk, now utilize the mezzanine level for two of their research labs. However, years ago the mezzanine level served as a kitchen for this Tolentine Dining Hall, evidenced by a large walk-in refrigeration unit and a chute that was probably used as a dumbwaiter for the cooks.

So next time you read that irritating "Looking for the second floor? Keep going!" sign, remember that the mezzanine level, like many buildings here at Villanova, has a long history.