The back of the wall at The Maintenance Shop holds a pictorial history of 25 years of great music and great entertainment.

Acts ranging from Smashing Pumpkins to Arlo Guthrie are featured in the collection of signed photographs placed neatly in frames hanging on the wall.

However, there is one picture that seems out of place. It shows several individuals — resembling janitors — standing in what looks like an old auto shop.

Unbelievable as it may be, both the pictures of the musical legends and the picture of the janitor-types have something in common. They are part of the rich history of The M-Shop.

The M-Shop, located in the Memorial Union, is the only all-ages bar in Ames. But it is more than just a bar; it is also a venue for watching great theater, music and comedy shows.

It has even earned international recognition as the host of several Iowa Public Television syndicated “Live from The Maintenance Shop” shows.

But its true purpose is to serve the students. And students have been enjoying the eclectic mix of entertainment at The Shop (as regulars call The M-Shop) since its opening in 1974.

But before The Maintenance Shop was a jewel of a bar/theater, it was just exactly what its name implies.

Kathy Svec, program director at the Memorial Union, said when the terraces on the west end of the Union were added in the mid-1950s, the area currently occupied by The Shop housed ISU’s maintenance department.

Workers in the maintenance department were skilled in a variety of trades. Carpentry, plumbing, electrical, heating-cooling and painting repairs were all made in the shop.

“The space was designed specifically for the maintenance department,” Svec said.

However, in 1973, the Union expanded again and added the southeast addition. The maintenance department was moved to its current location and renamed as the mechanical department, leaving a large space in the Memorial Union’s basement to be filled.

The Student Union Board at the time recognized the location as a perfect place for theater events. They also thought it would be the perfect place to move the Union’s bar service from its previous location in the Trophy Tavern.

This was not as easy it may sound, though, as Svec remembered.

“Allowing the serving of liquor on campus was quite controversial at the time,” she said.

The Shop took about a year to renovate, according to current M-Shop program director Rusty Poehner. During the renovation process, workers stumbled serendipitously upon what would become The Shop’s trademark when a local church closed.

Poehner said the church was giving away stained glass windows, and somehow one of them worked its way down to The Shop. Much to the dismay of several clergy, the stained glass window was installed.

“From what I understand, the priests made quite a stink when they learned their stained glass was going to be in a bar,” Poehner said.

This window has become the logo of The Shop, adorning everything from M-Shop shirts to The M-Shop Web page. Poehner also believes the window might have something to do with the success of The Shop.

“Bands love to play in front of it. They say it’s like playing in church,” Poehner said.

The “new” Shop opened its doors on Jan. 4, 1974. According to Svec though, it was not guaranteed to stay open for long.

“The SUB was allowed to use the space and try out entertainment ideas, with the stipulation that if the first show was successful, they could do another,” Svec said. “The first show, the musical ‘Man of La Mancha,’ was successful, and I guess the rest is history.”

Originally, The Shop mostly held theater performances, and at one time The Shop was home to a resident theater troupe, Svec said. Now, however, the slate is dominated by music.

The Shop has gone through changes other than program content. Poehner said when she came to The Shop in 1991, things were a lot different.

The seating for all shows was in a tables and chairs format. It was Poehner’s idea to switch to festival seating (no tables or chairs) to get more people in to shows. Poehner said fire codes will allow her to admit 69 more people to a show with festival seating, as opposed to a tables and chairs show.

Poehner also had new chairs purchased shortly after she signed on at The Shop.

“The old chairs were rickety, wooden cafe-style chairs, which quite frankly, did not fit the average Iowan ass,” Poehner recalled.

Poehner said The Shop switched to more comfortable, but boring, padded seats merely for the relief of patrons.

“You could only stand [sit] about 40 minutes in those old chairs,” she said.

After going through many changes and many alterations, The Shop is still in flux. Programmers are always looking for new acts to bring to Iowa State and new entertainment to put on stage at The Shop.

As the M-Shop Web page states, The Shop will always strive to be “traditionally untraditional.” If its history is any guide, The Maintenance Shop has great things in store for students in the future.