Ithaca College: The Towers, originally uploaded by aimeedars.

Ithaca College announced this week that it is closing the Tower Club restaurant, a unique place on campus located on the 14th floor of the East Tower, overlooking beautiful Cayuga Lake, the city of Ithaca and the rolling hills of Tompkins County.

The decision to close the Tower Club, which originally opened in the 1960s, came down to money, explained David Prunty, director of campus life services, to Ithaca College’s Intercom:

Our customer base has been declining steadily over the years, despite our best efforts to market the Tower Club as a dining destination. … While it is a wonderful facility to have available on campus, in this economic climate it just isn’t sustainable from a financial standpoint.

The Tower Club holds a special place in my memories of Ithaca College. It was where I first met my father-in-law (and my wife met my Dad) back in May 1998. Missy and I had been dating for three months at the time, and both of our fathers were in Ithaca to help us move home for the summer. We dined at the Tower Club for lunch on my unused “bonus bucks.”

Later on during my time at Ithaca College, the Tower Club was a regular meeting place with Student Body President Nick Tarant while I was serving as The Ithacan’s editor in chief.

After graduation, the Tower Club was where the Ithaca College Alumni Association Board of Directors often gathered with current students for networking events. That’s what made it so special — it was a great place to escape from the hustle and bustle of campus life with stunning views of the Ithaca area.

Perhaps most disappointing about the Tower Club’s closing is that future generations of Ithaca College students won’t be able to experience a signature spot of campus for nearly 50 years.