Married Couples View New Housing Complex

The rent schedule for the Married Student Housing complex compared to rent schedules typical of the Harvard Square area: APT.  MHS  HARVARD SQ. Efficiency  $100  varies greatly One bedroom  $120  $80-$100 Two bedroom  $140  $125 Three bedroom  $175  $140

Apartments in the Married Students Housing complex were put up for rent yesterday, but an informal CRIMSON poll indicated that many married and soon-to-be married students have no intention of moving into them.

Of thirty couples interviewed a large minority expressed interest and enthusiasm about the quarters, but the majority was clearly determined to live elsewhere. The high rent schedule was cited most often as the season for not wanting to move in.

The apartments will rent for between $100 and $175 per month, and while rental agents not connected with Harvard said this is "not exorbitant for what is offered, it is much more than students are paying for apartments near Harvard Square."

Two-bedroom apartments in Harvard Square or near it rent for close to $125, and while they are not as modern or efficient as those in the Harvard project, they are generally much larger.

Rental agents quoted "average rents" for Harvard Square and its vicinity, but stressed that the actual price varies greatly' according to the neighborhood, the distance from Harvard, and the apartment's condition. Two-bedroom apartments often rent for more than $200 in plush apartment houses. On the other hand, there are a few bohemian but attractive apartments located near Central Square which rent for as low as $40.

Many of the students who were enthusiastic about living in the project pointed out that "the best thing is how much time we save. Both of us are studying, and living there will mean we won't have to look for an appartment or spend a month fixing it up."

The couples who did not plan to apply for quarters cited high rent, "dormitory atmosphere," a desire for "a place of our own, one we can fix up," and aesthetic considerations.

"I don't think I'd want to go there--I wouldn't want to be with a lot of other Harvard people. At least I would look for a larger place first," one graduate student engaged to a Harvard faculty member said.

"They're down on the river next to that hideous electric building and they are to far away," a domesticated undergraduate who lives with her husband near Harvard Square added. They pay $125 for two bedrooms, a large living room, pantry and kitchen. "I think Harvard is ridiculous to charge that much," she said.

"I would gravitate toward the Housing project if I hadn't fixed this place up myself," a senior commented.

One renting agent who has been dealing with Harvard housing for several years thought the University would have difficulty renting more than half the apartments in the complex. "If any single group of people in Boston can be part of bohemia and find romantic places to live all over the city, it's married Harvard students," he said. "Some people around the Square were getting pretty high rents for what were essentially holes, and it will bring their prices down. But [Dean] Sert spent a lot of money on getting outside architectural effects--my guess is that living inside would be pretty dreary."

Several agents frankly said that one of the best features of the new project was that "discrimination will, of course, be out of the question." Negro students have often had difficulty getting attractive apartments in a pleasant neighborhood near Harvard, and for those who can afford it the problem should be solved.

A Radcliffe senior who will be married in June summed up the feeling of the majority interviewed: "It's efficient, accessible, sensible, and nice if you can afford it. But Willy and I won't live there. We spend all of our time around this University, and when we're together we don't want to be living on top of a thousand other students. We're going to find and fix up an inexpensive place of our own.

Apartments in the Married Students Housing complex were put up for rent yesterday, but an informal CRIMSON poll indicated that many married and soon-to-be married students have no intention of moving into them.

Of thirty couples interviewed a large minority expressed interest and enthusiasm about the quarters, but the majority was clearly determined to live elsewhere. The high rent schedule was cited most often as the season for not wanting to move in.

The apartments will rent for between $100 and $175 per month, and while rental agents not connected with Harvard said this is "not exorbitant for what is offered, it is much more than students are paying for apartments near Harvard Square."

Two-bedroom apartments in Harvard Square or near it rent for close to $125, and while they are not as modern or efficient as those in the Harvard project, they are generally much larger.

Rental agents quoted "average rents" for Harvard Square and its vicinity, but stressed that the actual price varies greatly' according to the neighborhood, the distance from Harvard, and the apartment's condition. Two-bedroom apartments often rent for more than $200 in plush apartment houses. On the other hand, there are a few bohemian but attractive apartments located near Central Square which rent for as low as $40.

Many of the students who were enthusiastic about living in the project pointed out that "the best thing is how much time we save. Both of us are studying, and living there will mean we won't have to look for an appartment or spend a month fixing it up."

The couples who did not plan to apply for quarters cited high rent, "dormitory atmosphere," a desire for "a place of our own, one we can fix up," and aesthetic considerations.

"I don't think I'd want to go there--I wouldn't want to be with a lot of other Harvard people. At least I would look for a larger place first," one graduate student engaged to a Harvard faculty member said.

"They're down on the river next to that hideous electric building and they are to far away," a domesticated undergraduate who lives with her husband near Harvard Square added. They pay $125 for two bedrooms, a large living room, pantry and kitchen. "I think Harvard is ridiculous to charge that much," she said.

"I would gravitate toward the Housing project if I hadn't fixed this place up myself," a senior commented.

One renting agent who has been dealing with Harvard housing for several years thought the University would have difficulty renting more than half the apartments in the complex. "If any single group of people in Boston can be part of bohemia and find romantic places to live all over the city, it's married Harvard students," he said. "Some people around the Square were getting pretty high rents for what were essentially holes, and it will bring their prices down. But [Dean] Sert spent a lot of money on getting outside architectural effects--my guess is that living inside would be pretty dreary."

Several agents frankly said that one of the best features of the new project was that "discrimination will, of course, be out of the question." Negro students have often had difficulty getting attractive apartments in a pleasant neighborhood near Harvard, and for those who can afford it the problem should be solved.

A Radcliffe senior who will be married in June summed up the feeling of the majority interviewed: "It's efficient, accessible, sensible, and nice if you can afford it. But Willy and I won't live there. We spend all of our time around this University, and when we're together we don't want to be living on top of a thousand other students. We're going to find and fix up an inexpensive place of our own.