As Adams House Buildings Reopen, Residents Say Renovations Were Worth the Wait

Two Adams House dormitories — Russell Hall and Westmorly Court — opened their doors this fall to residents, who said they were “very pleased" with the long-awaited renovations even as parts of the House remain closed off behind bolted doors and stretch wrap.

Though Adams House unveiled its refurbished dining hall on Aug. 26 and residents moved in as early as Aug. 18, iconic amenities such as the Pool Theater, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Suite, and the Glass Elevator were still under construction and inaccessible to residents as of Sept. 2.

“If there’s one thing that I would say is not perfect — they’re still finishing up a lot of the common spaces,” Grayson E. Caffrey ’28 said. “They’re finishing up a lot of the cool common spaces, like the Pool Theater and the FDR suite.”

“It’s really minor, but it would’ve been cool to show that to my parents when they were helping me move in,” Caffrey said.

Adams House’s three building complexes were renovated in phases, beginning in 2021 with Claverly Hall. The House’s renovation, part of the College’s $1.4 billion House Renewal project, was originally slated to end in fall 2022.

But roadblocks encountered during the pandemic — including a five-month construction moratorium — delayed the timeline significantly. Renovations on Russell Hall and Westmorly Court began in June 2023 and were expected to be completed by this summer.

More than two years later, some Russell Hall rooms were still undergoing work as students moved in.

“I feel like they did a great job,” Stella S. Kwon ’26 said. “They’re still actively installing things, though, which is pretty funny.”

“We didn’t have a bathroom mirror for a couple of days and then a man came and installed it,” Liz Zheng ’26 added.

Wilson Chung ’28 said that most rooms are “pretty much set,” except for minor wrappings in common areas.

“In one of the common rooms, the sofa still has plastic wrap on top, so we couldn’t use the common room,” Chung said.

Abdullah Shahid Sial ’27 — who was on campus early as a leader for the First-Year International Program, a pre-orientation program for international students — said that he ate in Adams on its opening day. Though the indoor dining hall was complete, he said that there was still ongoing construction on the outdoor atrium portion of the dining hall.

Adams House residents were given different timelines for the remaining projects: the House’s faculty deans announced at sophomore orientation that all renovations should be completed by the end of the semester, with the Pool Theater prepared by October. Some House tutors told their entryways to expect completed renovations within the next couple of weeks, students said.

Adams House’s facilities will be completed at different times, according to a college spokesperson: the FDR Suite is under review, an inspection is being scheduled for the Glass Elevator, the Pool Theater is on track to be completed in the next few weeks, and the Bell Tower will be complete by the end of this semester.

“As a House, we are beyond thrilled to be back in our buildings after six years of renovations,” Adams House Faculty Deans Mercedes C. Becerra ’91 and Salmaan Keshavjee wrote in response to a request for comment, adding that the “renewal process maintained the historical character of Adams House” and has increased the number of student work and hangout spaces.

“Like any renovation, there are still a few things to finish here and there, and we are looking forward to that happening over the next couple of months,” they wrote.

Students said they were more than satisfied with the renovations and seemed unfazed by the unfinished projects.

“I never knew what it looked like before because I’m a sophomore but it’s really nice. So I’m very pleased,” Henry Zeghibe ’28 said, calling the renovations “beautiful.”

“I think people are happy to wait,” Zeghibe said. “I don’t think anybody’s too upset that we’re waiting a little.”

Zheng said that her Russell Hall dorm has a “diabolical amount of space.”

“My friends come and I show them all the new stuff and I can secretly see the jealousy flash in their eyes,” she said, before adding, “that’s a joke.”

—Staff writer Bianca G. Ciubancan can be reached at bianca.ciubancan@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Darcy G Lin can be reached at darcy.lin@thecrimson.com.