Campus & Community

House pride from

A to Z.

Illustration by Judy Blomquist/Harvard Staff

1 min read

Housing Day is more than a tradition, as first-years soon learn

On March 13, Cambridge residents may catch a glimpse of glittery green-eared bunnies racing through Harvard Square, or a pack of polar bears lumbering from Radcliffe Quad as screams of “Domus!” echo across Harvard Yard.

Not to worry. It’s just another Housing Day at Harvard.

For the uninformed, on Housing Day first-year students are awakened in the early hours with news of where they will be living for the next three years. The sorting is randomized, and the residences are as distinctive as the individuals who inhabit them.

Here are some of the unique sources of pride of the 12 traditional Houses plus the Dudley Co-op, from A to Z.

A contingent from Adams House including Antone Martinho carrying the banner makes its way across the Yard.
A is for the Acorns that adorn the Adams House shield.
B is for Bells that bellow from Lowell House tower.
Students ring the Lowell House bells.
The Cabot House mascot dances in Annenberg Hall.
C is for CODFISH, Cabot’s colorful mascots
D is for DOMUS, that classic Eliot House chant.
Students show their Eliot House spirit waving the Domus sign.
Leverett House trumpeters toot their horns skyward.
E is for the EARS on Leverett House’s bunny.
F is for the Fifes that awaken Kirkland House on Commencement Day.
At 7AM the Fife and Drum Corp pass through Kirkland House Courtyard.
Views of Mather House courtyard.
G is for Giant Concrete Tower, that Mather House nickname.
H is for Housing Day Video, that Currier House annual best.
A still from the Currier House Housing Day video.
The Igloo at Pforzheimer House.
I is for the Igloo, a popular Pforzheimer House party space.
J is for JFK SUITE, Winthrop House’s historical chamber.
President Kennedy's college suite is now furnished as a memorial and administered by the Institute of Politics to guests.
Kirkland House members strain together on the rope tug of war.
K is for K-Force, the Kirkland House intramural team.
L is for the Lather in Mather House's sudsy party pit.
The annual Mather Lather foam party at the Mather House.
People practice together in Winthrop House's Meditation room.
M is for Meditation in Winthrop House's mindful space.
N is for NEO-GEORGIAN, the distinctive Dunster House style.
Dunster House reflects onto a placid Charles River.
Lowell House Opera production of "Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky.
O is for OPERA, a prestigious Lowell House production.
P is for POLAR BEARS, a playful Pforzheimer House pack.
Polar bear heads line the shelves of a closet in Pforzheimer House.
The inside of The Qube at Quincy House.
Q is for Qube, that quiet Quincy House study space.
R is for RABBIT HOLE, the riveting Leverett House social space.
Carly Chen (left) and Hayden Graham are pictured in the Rabbit Hole, a large gathering space on the lower level of McKinlock Hall at Leverett House.
The Cabot Cafe sign is pictured.
S is for STUDENT-RUN, like the Cabot House Café .
T is for the Tables at Quincy House for pool, foosball, and table tennis.
Emil Massad ’25 and Anoushka Chander ’25 play foosball in Quincy House.
Views of the Adams House Tunnels.
U is for the tunnels Under Adams House, adorned with art.
V is for VEGETARIAN, Dudley Co-op’s communal cuisine.
Dudley Co-op students prepare broccoli for the meal.
Eliot House shields decorate the entrance to the residence.
W is for Wavy like the lines in the Eliot House arms.
X is for X-TENDED HOURS at the Dunster House dining hall.
Students dine at Dunster House at Harvard University during Dunster’s extended dining hours.
Necati Unsal ’26 steps off the shuttle outside the entrance to Currier House.
Y is for the Yard shuttle stop that makes Currier House convenient.
Z is for ZERO-WASTE, Dudley Co-op’s sustainability aim.
Dudley Co-op is pictured.

Share this article

You might like

Trending

  1. Health

    A dietary swap that could lengthen your life?

    Study finds replacing butter with plant-based oils cuts premature death risk by 17 percent

    4 min read

  2. Campus & Community

    Atul Gawande named featured speaker for Harvard Alumni Day

    Acclaimed surgeon, writer, and public health leader will take the stage at Harvard’s global alumni celebration on June 6

    5 min read

  3. Health

    You went to the doctor and came out feeling worse

    Psychologist who studied ‘medical gaslighting’ explains how caseload pressures contribute to the problem and when we should call it something else

    5 min read