Newly Renovated Old Quincy Renamed Stone Hall

Old Quincy has been renamed Stone Hall in honor of a late former member of the Harvard Corporation, Harvard officials announced Saturday afternoon at a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the newly renovated building.

James F. Rothenberg ’68, University treasurer and chair of Harvard Management Company’s board of directors, gave a donation to help fund the renovation of the building, which administrators have called a “test project” for Harvard’s ambitious, more than $1 billion House Renewal plan. Rothenberg chose to name the building after Robert G. Stone Jr. ’45, a former HMC director who co-chaired two capital campaigns for the University, the most recent of which ended in 1999 and collected $2.6 billion. Stone died in 2006.

Before the ribbon cutting and the unveiling of an engraving of the building’s new name, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith and Quincy House Co-Master Lee Gehrke thanked donors and others involved in the planning process.

“The name Stone Hall, today, becomes an integral part of the history of Harvard’s House system—a renewed House system,” Smith said in his remarks.

Stone Hall opened for Quincy students at the end of August after 15 months of construction. The newly renovated building is now fully accessible for those with disabilities and features horizontal entryways, elevators, new common spaces, and a mix of multi-person suites and hall single and double bedrooms.

Despite the renovations, the majority of the House’s upperclassmen chose to live in New Quincy this year. Some cited tradition and concern that the new layout might not be the best for parties, among other reasons for not living in the new space.

“It’s nice to have my family back in one area,” Quincy House Co-Master Deborah J. Gehrke said in an interview following the event. During construction on Old Quincy last school year, dozens of displaced Quincy students lived in swing housing around Harvard Square.

She added, “Stone Hall is a great, strong name for Quincy.”

Leverett House Masters Ann B. Georgi and Howard M. Georgi ’68 were among those present at the event Saturday afternoon. Leverett House’s McKinlock Hall is currently undergoing renovation and is scheduled to be completed by next fall. The entirety of Dunster House is slated to be renewed in the 2014-2015 academic year.

“It’s just spectacular,” Ann Georgi said in an interview after the ribbon cutting. “To see how [the renewal has] worked is phenomenal.”

—Staff writer Laya Anasu can be reached at laya.anasu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @LayaAnasu.

—Staff writer Madeline R. Conway can be reached at mconway@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @MadelineRConway.