On Tuesday morning, College Housing and Residential Services announced the new locations of the nine house communities from dorms that will be closing at the end of this school year. The announced locations keep houses from the same dorm near one another in Campus North Residential Commons.
Campus North consists of three buildings. One building will be home to four houses, while another will contain three houses and the third building will hold only one house.
According to the announcement, the four-house building will include the former Tufts House, Henderson House, and Midway House, all of which are currently in New Graduate Residence Hall, as well as Maclean House, the only house in Maclean Hall. The three-house building will include Wick House, Talbot House, and Palmer House, all of which are currently in Broadview Hall. Blackstone House, the only house in Blackstone Hall, will be in the single-house building.
Breckinridge House, currently the sole house in Breckinridge Hall, will move to International House (I-House) and keep its name.
“Breckinridge is excited for this opportunity to preserve our house name and the legacy of Sophonisba Breckinridge. We placed our request to move to I-House based on a house-wide vote in January, in which the majority of the house preferred moving to I-House over Campus North. A few students are still considering the option to move to Campus North (which is guaranteed to all Breckinridge residents). I am glad that the outcome of the house placements is satisfactory to the other houses,” second-year Rachel Taub, a representative on the Special College Housing Advisory Committee (SCHAC) for Breckinridge, wrote in an e-mail.
“Maclean was not hoping to be placed into I-House. We like our northern location! We’re happy for Breck. They were the best fit for I-House out of all the satellites that are being relocated,” second-year Harper Graf, the SCHAC representative for Maclean, wrote in an e-mail.
The placements were finalized after residents of each house submitted forms ranking their preferences between I-House and the different locations within Campus North, as well as a 250-word essay. The forms were then reviewed by College Housing & Residential Services, who then made recommendations regarding placement to Dean of the College John Boyer.
“I think the announcements on housing have made me more excited for the move. I’m so ecstatic for the rest of the houses on their placements. That said, every time I pass by North on the way to Maclean, I always feel a twinge in my chest. Yes, we’re moving to a brand new building with all the amenities and that’s neat. But Maclean will always feel like home…. So in conclusion, yes, while I am excited and ready for the move to North, I am still saddened by the loss of the hall that currently houses my home here at UChicago,” Graf said.
