Heavy Rain Causes Leaks in Newly Renovated Adams House

Newly renovated sections of Adams House on Saturday evening sprang several leaks amid fierce Cambridge rains.

The rainwater infiltrated Westmorly Court in multiple locations, spewing into part of the dining hall and forming a large pool of water outside the Bow and Arrow Press room. The dorm opened in August for the first time in more than 2 years, though much of the property is still under construction.

“When we were walking through the ground floor, there was a bunch of water coming out. It was flooded,” Adams resident Alice M. Gonzalez ’27 said. “Our shoes got wet. We were having to be careful to not slip.”

“I didn’t see that there was a big puddle of water because the carpet is black, and it all kind of blended together. I took a step towards the door, and my entire foot sank under the water,” said Shaurya Jeloka ’28, another Adams resident.

Adams staff used a large fan outside one of the flooded rooms to dry the carpet as rain continued through Sunday.

Other students recalled seeing leaks throughout other areas in the building, including near a glass elevator in the Adams Conservatory and inside student dormitories.

By Frank S. Zhou

“It was just pouring water through the elevator shaft,” Kayla R. Reifel ’26 said. “I think it was pretty obvious that the elevator shaft wasn’t done yet, because there have been construction materials in there.”

A College spokesperson, the Adams House faculty deans, and the Adams House building manager did not respond to requests for comment over the weekend.

After more than two years of renovations, Westmorly reopened to students in August, flaunting its remodeled dining hall and updated dorm rooms. Still, with some of the renovations incomplete, the recent maintenance issues have left students with mixed opinions on the state of their house.

Reifel, an Adams resident, said seeing the leaks made her realize the extent of construction still left to complete on her house.

“I was like, ‘Wow. The house really kind of isn’t done yet,’” Reifel.

“I’m happy that they opened it and we’re living here, but it would have been ideal — just because they were doing this for many years — to have it completely done,” she added.

While Adams students have moved back into the main buildings, construction has already begun on Eliot House, which is expected to be completed in 2027. Eliot residents are currently living in overflow dorms in Harvard Square, which housed Adams students for the last two years.

A soaked carpet in Westmorly Court, Adams House. By Courtesy of Joyce E. Kim

“They just rushed us into living in this new housing to start Eliot, while this isn’t even done completely,” Gonzalez said.

Despite the leaks, Adams residents say the refreshed building and updated features are worth initial hiccups.

“It’s a relatively new house, so maybe there’s some things that are left unfinished that they still need to fix,” Jeloka said.

—Staff writer Nina A. Ejindu can be reached at nina.ejindu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @nina_ejindu.

—Staff writer Claire L. Simon can be reached at claire.simon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @ClaireSimon.