Kirkland, Lowell To Split DeWolfe Floors

Kirkland House will retain one floor of 20 DeWolfe St. after efforts to offload all overflow housing in the apartment building have resulted in a compromise.

Contrary to earlier indications that Kirkland would cease housing students in the building altogether, Joshua G. McIntosh, associate dean of Harvard College for student life, confirmed in an e-mailed statement yesterday that Lowell House will take one floor of housing in 20 DeWolfe St. and that Kirkland will keep one of its two current floors.

This announcement came three days before freshmen will receive their housing assignments and after more than four years of yearning on the part of the Kirkland House Masters to rid the House of the overflow housing, which is located three blocks away from Kirkland proper.

None of the other Houses that currently occupy 10 and 20 DeWolfe St. will shift or be displaced, wrote McIntosh, who mediated the discussion over which Houses would occupy DeWolfe.

Lowell House resident tutor Van C. Tran said last week that he thought that Kirkland would be keeping one floor in the building, saying that Lowell only agreed to take on a floor after considering the “shared sense of responsibility” of devoting House resources to students.

Opinions regarding DeWolfe vary across the Kirkland community. Kirkland House Master Tom C. Conley said that students’ satisfaction scores on the House life surveys have suggested that residents prefer to live in Kirkland proper as opposed to DeWolfe, but Kirkland House Committee Co-Chair Kelly N. Bodwin ’11 said that some are sad to lose rooms known for their spacious interiors and in-room kitchens.

—Staff writer Naveen N. Srivatsa can be reached at srivatsa@fas.harvard.edu.