Kirkland House

As part of our Housing Market series, we'll be posting reviews and rankings for each of Harvard's 12 residential Houses over the next few days. Click here to read more about the series.

For a tiny House, Kirkland has a way of being the center of attention—a tragic drug-related murder occurred in its basement in 2009; Adam Wheeler faked his way past the Harvard admissions office and right into this House; and the now-storied birth of Facebook took place in a Kirkland dorm room.

Yet for a House that has been the site of some bad news, it is Kirkland's strong points that will make headlines on Housing Day: beautiful facilities, a prime location, and a warm, cozy community.

Dining Hall: Kirkland's sunny dining hall offers an elegant eatery complete with gleaming chandeliers and huge windows. With plenty of intimate four-person tables, you'll feel more like you're dining in a European café than an institutional cafeteria. Some think that the classy atmosphere goes too far; House Masters Tom C. and Verena A. Conley have expelled the napkin dispensers found on each table in other Houses, claiming that they are unattractive and entice people to gratuitously waste paper. You'll need to remember to grab a few napkins as you leave the servery if you want to avoid stains and spills far more unsightly than the prosaic dispensers. To make up for this quirky inconvenience, however, Kirkland may be the only House with original Minute Maid lemonade (not the watered-down light version) in its drink machine.

Facilities: Kirkland's best-kept secret might be Hicks House, a white house situated right behind Kirkland on JFK Street which contains a library restricted only to Kirklandites. Other study spaces are less desirable; the constant clanging of pipes makes the underground lounge area which formerly housed the Kirkland Grille a rather dismal place to work. People headed to the pool table or the laundry room pass right through the House gym, giving exercisers a disconcerting lack of privacy—but with the MAC so close by, Kirkland residents don't really need their own gym anyway.

Rooms: Whether you want to have one suitemate or seven, you can probably get your choice of room configuration. That being said, rooms run on the small side. Some sophomore rooms are extremely cramped, and you'll probably have to put up with walkthroughs or other sub-par setups until you finally get n+1 housing as a senior. Residents of the Annex enjoy a pretty, secluded courtyard between their building and the main House, but they must walk outside (though only a short distance) to get to the dining hall.

House spirit: Kirkland's annual winter formal is called IncestFest. That should tell you everything you need to know about how much this small community loves Kirkland—and each other. Residents enjoy a House ode, stein clubs on the patio in the gorgeous Kirkland courtyard when the weather is warm, and a weekly "Boat Club" which seems to have more to do with cookies than crew nowadays. Most notably, Kirkland holds an elaborate annual Secret Santa gift exchange in which the dining hall becomes the stage for hours' worth of sweet, silly, and strange presents from elves to their “santees” each night.

Location: Kirkland's lucky residents are just a quick jaunt down Dunster Street from all the excitement of the Yard and the Square. They can pick up a Starbucks coffee from the Garage on their way to class and still be on time; and at night, they live in the very closest House to Noch's.

Quirks: The House proudly sponsors "Conversations with Kirkland," a lecture series that draws a remarkable line-up of heavy-hitting speakers to Kirkland's Junior and Senior Common Rooms each year. Visitors this year alone have included Chris Matthews, Lewis N. Black, and the filmmaking Farrelly brothers. These lectures are open to all students, not just Kirkland residents, though those who don't arrive early for these popular events may find themselves crammed into corners or sitting on the floor.

Rating: Although it may offer lackluster housing, Kirkland's beautiful courtyard and the warm community that populates it make this House a gem. For these reasons, Kirkland is rated third out of 12.

Our rankings so far:

3. Kirkland

4. Eliot

5. Pforzheimer

6. Quincy

7. Dunster

8. Leverett

9. Currier

10. Mather

11. Winthrop

12. Cabot