Winthrop Residents Will Remain In House Next Year

Contrary to administrators’ previous statements, Winthrop House residents will not live in swing housing next year to accommodate House renewal plans.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith previously said administrators were considering placing some Winthrop students in swing space next year as the College begins construction on Winthrop East, a planned five-story addition to Winthrop House’s Gore Hall. The House will undergo full renovation as part of Harvard’s more than $1 billion House renewal project in 2016-2017.

Renewal plans for Winthrop House, which is slated for renovation in 2016-2017, include a five-story addition to Gore Hall on Mill Street. By Courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle

However, administrators have revised renewal plans in response to feedback. While minor House pre-construction renovations will still begin in June, construction will now halt in August to allow Winthrop residents to live in the House next year, according to Winthrop House Masters Ronald S. Sullivan and Stephanie Robinson, who informed Winthrop residents of the change in plans in an email Friday.

This timeline means that, as previously planned, next academic year will represent a one-year break in House renewal construction. All Winthrop residents will move into swing housing for 2016-2017 after construction on the House resumes in June 2016.

Administrators adopted the revised timeline, which now requires Winthrop residents to live in swing housing for only one year, rather than two, in “an effort to minimize disruption to the Winthrop community,” Sullivan and Robinson wrote in a separate email to The Crimson.

They also noted that one year of swing follows the model of previous House renewal projects. Students from Quincy, Leverett, and Dunster—Houses that were previously renovated or are currently being renovated—each lived in swing housing for only one year during construction.

According to Dean of Student Life Stephen Lassonde, Winthrop students participated in three meetings about Winthrop’s renewal in February, and he and other administrators continue to discuss renewal plans in weekly meetings. Winthrop residents will have additional opportunities to work with architects and voice concerns in the coming months, Sullivan and Robinson wrote.

—Staff writer Quynh-Nhu Le can be reached at quynhnhu.le@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @qnhule.