Photograph by Christina McCarthy
A black rectangular box, studded with glowing lights and presenting no discernible entrance or exit appeared near University of California Berkeley’s (UC Berkeley) Moffitt Library at the start of October. This was no UFO, but Press — no “the,” just Press — a brand-new cafe serving the thousands of people who enter Moffitt Library every day.
Press’ unique architecture was designed by San Francisco-based firm Gensler. Its airplane-hangar style door folds up as an awning to the cafe during open hours, hinging not only at the top, but also at the middle. When the door is closed, all sides of the building look identical, presenting a puzzle to the viewer.
But the magic begins at night: when the cafe closes, square cutouts on all sides illuminate like skyscraper windows, presumably beaming alien data into the stratosphere. The cutouts were created by punching highly pressurized water jets through Press’ exterior metal panels, allowing LED lights on the interior to shine through.
Despite its supernatural appearance, Press’ menu is decidedly down-to-Earth.
Press is more of a snack shack than a full cafe, but offers a wide range of healthy victuals for its size: apples, salads, the full complement of coffee-based beverages, ginger-pear and matcha iced tea, paleo muffins. The paleo muffins (Muffin Revolution brand) come in flavors such as Banana Bam-Bam, 24 Carrot Gold, and Cha Cha Chia.
Especially the Yam Good muffin, which was, indeed, yam good, even to the unsophisticated non-paleo palate. Press is a small operation, with only two employees working at a time and barely enough interior space to fit the cafe machines and a communication module to advise the incoming alien fleet.
However, its impact is wide: approximately ten thousand people enter Moffitt Library every day, and Press’ line maintained a steady length of at least ten people when I visited. Adding to Press’ study-snack appeal, students are allowed to take snacks into the library, but they can also eat at many of the z-shaped benches on the Moffitt patio.
In times like these, with the threat of nuclear war, cyberattacks, “fake news,” and the Mothership approaching, a cafe with a name like Press warrants dissection. “Press” relates to libraries — as in a book press — but also to journalism, as in “the press,” and the printing press itself. The name also relates to the coffee and panini presses and a crowd — a press of people. All of these concepts fit the cafe’s aesthetic, if not its science fiction edge, which exists in a brave new world of its own.
Press is located on Moffitt Library’s fourth floor, squarely in the center of campus, and is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. As the school year continues, it will be interesting to see the impact of the cafe on student life and student tastes. And with each passing day that Press is open, everyone should look out for the incoming alien colony’s impact on us all.