Quincy House

This is the twelfth and last post in Flyby's 2013 Housing Market series. From all of us at Flyby, have a very happy Housing Day!

Quincy House has managed to maintain a strong sense of community this year despite the dispersion of residents in swing housing throughout the Square while Old Quincy undergoes renovation. Next year, the wait will be over, and Old Quincy will be the newest housing on campus. Those freshmen lucky enough to land a spot in (new) Old Quincy will find the best of both worlds—spacious, modern, and well-appointed rooms within a facade that maintains Harvard's neo-Georgian flair—all just steps from both the River and the Square.

House Spirit: Penguin pride is fierce every day of the year, but residents point to the House's special events as particular rallying points for their community. Quincy kicks off the fall semester with a popular House-wide field day. Other spirited annual traditions include Josiah Quincy's birthday dinner and "Quincy's Got Talent." Quincy camradarie shines through during the holiday season each winter, when the Quincy House Committee solicits small donations from students that are then bundled and presented to the House's maintenance workers and HUDS staff as year-end bonuses. Recently, Quincy's House Masters, tutors, and students alike stepped up to help a tutor who was proposing to her longtime girlfriend by participating in a choreographed flashmob, which one Penguin described as "magical."

Dining Hall: As almost any Harvard student can tell you (because nearly everyone eats in Quincy at some point), "New" Quincy just isn't that new anymore—and, unfortunately, it's not the most picturesque of buildings on our campus. Quincy's dining hall represents the height of this aging modernity, but at least the tables are dark wood. Since Quincy rarely has interhouse dining restrictions, the large dining hall is often crowded with non-Penguins. On weeknights, it can be quite noisy and difficult to find a seat.

Ask any Quincy resident, however, and they'll tell you that the well-lit space, complete with long tables and four-tops alike, is one of the best parts of Quincy. Having such a constant stream of people coming through Quincy to eat means that the dining hall is not just the epicenter of a dynamic House life, but that it is also a rare centralized common space for Harvard upperclassmen of all Houses. And for a dining hall that serves so many students each day, the food they turn out is impressively tasty.

Housing Quality: Those who manage to snag rooms in the newly renovated Old Quincy will be some of the luckiest students at Harvard. From what we can tell, the only downside of the new floor plans is that they include hall bathrooms. Other than that, renewed Old Quincy promises to provide some of the best in Harvard living, with multitudinous singles, ample common spaces, full kitchens in every tutor suite (study breaks just got so much better), duplex residential suites, University-provided furniture, and elevators. (Old) New Quincy, though perhaps less aesthetically pleasing, provides residents with reliably spacious quarters, and long hallways foster a sense of community that can be difficult to find in other Houses.

Facilities: (New) Old Quincy will include a new "multi-purpose" room with glass walls and doors as well as a terrace for House events and barbecues. Another highlight of next year's Old Quincy is the small study niches slated to occupy that awkward space under the eaves of those oh-so-Old-Harvard slanted roofs. Residents cite Quincy Grille as one of the best amenities the House has to offer, and speak affectionately of the greasy late-night food and convenient social space it provides.

House Masters: House Masters Lee and Deborah J. Gehrke get rave reviews from Penguins, who praise them as thoughtful, generous, and involved with House life. Quincy residents say their House Masters are committed to fostering a vibrant community, and students flock to events like "Deb's Paint Bar" for a chance to paint with their artist-in-residence. The Masters also host Senior Dinners, Super Bowl parties, and open houses in their penthouse residence in New Quincy.

Extra: Quincy holds the distinction of being the only wheelchair-accessible River House. Penguins enjoy frequent games on the House's centrally located ping pong table. Finally, Quincy is home to the "Qube," a library that serves as a quiet study space 24/7 and is also rumored to have an outstanding comic book collection (which students can explore upon request).

Flyby's complete 2013 House rankings:

1. Quincy

2. Eliot

3. Kirkland

4. Adams

5. Cabot

6. Winthrop

7. Lowell

8. Pforzheimer

9. Mather

10. Leverett

11. Dunster

12. Currier

Disclaimer: Flyby's 2013 House Rankings, though unscientific, are based on careful research and review by the Flyby Staff. We encourage you to read the full posts—rather than the rankings alone—to learn more about each House. As difficult as it makes our jobs, there is good to be found in every one of the twelve.