First Fairy Door at Michigan Appears in CSE

Fairies have for the first time ventured onto campus and have taken up residence in the Bob and Betty Beyster Building, home of the Computer Science and Engineering Division.

The fairies have made their home inside a computer stationed on the building’s main floor. Their dwelling is complete with doors, windows (OK, not *that* Windows), and lights.

Fairy doors have been sighted around town for a number of years, with the fairies apparently choosing iconic Ann Arbor landmarks in which to site their homes. The first appeared in the baseboards of the 100+ year old home of Jonathan and Kathleen Wright in 1993. On April 7, 2005 the first was seen in public on the exterior of Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea. Just a few other fairy doors have gradually appeared at bookstores and shops downtown.

“We are thrilled that the fairies have chosen to come and live with us here at CSE,” said Prof. Rada Mihalcea. She and her daughter, Zara, have been enchanted by the city’s fairy doors and were delighted to be the first, along with research fellow Carmen Banea, to discover the fairies at CSE. “I am hoping that they will find this to be a warm and welcoming environment. Who knows – perhaps the fairies will be encouraged to think of building more of their houses in other buildings here on campus. Wouldn’t that be great?”