Housing Market 2020: Currier
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With a vibrant community, a variety of social and study spaces, and the offer of a refuge away from the prying tourists of Harvard Square, it’s an understatement to say Currier will not let you down. The smallest House on campus has a reputation which outdoes its size, known for its diverse community and as the returning champions from winning the Green Cup. Being sorted into Currier House this Housing Day would definitely be more of a blessing than a curse.
All About Housing
Most sophomores assigned to Currier House get assigned either in-suite or hallway singles in Daniels Tower, with a few getting doubles. Further, some sophomores do end up in other towers and actually receive junior housing. House Committee co-chair Vivien Thommes ’20 said that “I want to stay in my junior house and because I think I cannot buy enough furniture to stock up a senior room.” The four towers — named Gilbert, Bingham, Daniels, and Tuchman after four Radcliffe College alumna — are all connected through their basements. The House also boasts about 56 kitchens — every single floor and common room has a kitchen. Community baking is very much a tradition — many students have their own baking pans, and even if you miss Autumn Apple Picking, Currierites love to share baked goods and host baking study breaks.
By Mark Kelsey
Community
The locus of Currier House is the dining hall because “At any time to go in and out of the building, people have to walk through the dhall, have to see each other,” explains HoCo co-chair Jorge Campos ’21. Currier dhall is the most distinct from the dhalls of other Houses, due to the fountain display in the middle (with a skylight to brighten the area) as well as the obvious camaraderie on display. Sunday nights in particular are special; above and beyond the usual Brain Break fare chicken wings, nachos, or other delicacies are rolled out around 10 p.m. “There are just trays of food and people are just hanging out in the dining hall doing work super late,” said Campos. The dhall also stays open between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., as well as post-7:15 p.m. “Our opinion on it is, you know, it is a little bit harder to get up here, and the class blocks don't really line up with the official HUDS time schedule,” says Robert A. James, who has worked at HUDS for 16 years and at Currier for the past two years, noting that it’s not an official policy.
Currier House has many recreational and workspaces for students. On entering, one passes the bells desk, a desk that students can sign up for shifts for two hours per week. ”All you have to do is to sit here and log packages as they come in,” said Olivia H. Nie ’20. “I also do like I get to see a lot of my, my friends that I might not run into all the time.” Down a staircase from the lobby, one enters the Fishbowl, which has glass walls, many sofas, and a large projector for movie screenings. Tucked underneath the two staircases is the Mousehole, whose walls can close to create a mall private space, equipped with a very pricey speaker system and Alexa, where people often hold impromptu dancing or singing sessions. The Poker Room is a popular study space equipped with whiteboards and desks, and Currier House’s ten-man suite offers party rooms like no other. Currier Gym, three music practice rooms, a dance studio, reading rooms, a meditation room, a massage room (and chair), and a Makerspace replete with 3D printer and art supplies mean that it’s possible to hole up in Currier the whole weekend, whether your intent is to belt out a paper or relax with friends. “I think the most important thing is that it's not just a space where you live; it's like when you are home,” said Thommes.
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More About Currier
Beyond being the only House on campus being named after a woman, Audrey Bruce Currier ’56, Currier was also the first House to push for race relations tutors and first-gen tutors. One tutor is even working on an augmented reality app to describe the history of the House room by room. While the Quad at large and Currier specifically are often celebrated for their community, in Currier, this includes more than just tutors and staff. “For me, I see the same 150-175 people day after day. You know, it's less time to get to know people,” said James. “I love the fact that they can get away from the stress level when they come to the Quad.” Currier also brags of a variety of House group chats, including for board games, video games, and the popular Currier memes chat. Anyone can submit to the digital picture frames on the walls, whether about a specific happening or even something from daily life.
While Currier is a 13-minute walk from Harvard Yard, Thommes and Campos frequently loop back to the Quad for meals, and Thommes vouches for the reliability of the shuttles, making the Yard and River “super accessible.” The distance has certainly not stopped Currier from outperforming other houses in IMs; they are currently 3rd place in the Straus Cup rankings, an impressive feat for the smallest House. Campos fondly remembers a soccer match from last semester where they hired Uber Blacks for the trip down to the soccer field. “It was really one of my favorite times here because we like de-seeded Quincy House and they were sitting on number one and we beat ‘em, and our Deans came out to the soccer game. We had 40 people out in the sidelines screaming, cheering us on,” he recalls with a grin.
Thommes and Campos say that attitudes towards getting housed in the Quad have been changing the past few years. During Housing Day 2019, Currier-Wire (the house-wide email list) was flooded with pictures and videos of freshman crying tears of joy. The HoCo chairs have one last piece of advice for freshman this Housing Day — give the Quad a chance. “I'm just sold on this House being the greatest thing that happened to me at Harvard,” Campos said.