Quincy To Improve Accessibility

Quincy House will widen its doors and install a new elevator this summer in an effort to make the House more accessible for students with disabilities.

With the completion of the construction, Quincy will join Currier and Pforzheimer as the most handicap accessible Houses, University Disability Coordinator Marie Trottier said.

The construction began over spring break when workers lowered the water table to allow for the installation of an elevator that will allow access to the dining hall and the Cage, a basement concert space, according to Lee Gehrke, Quincy’s interim House Master.

The rest of the construction work will begin the Monday after Commencement and end by Labor Day weekend, so that student housing is not disrupted for the coming academic year.

Over the summer, the floor of Quincy’s Junior Common Room will be leveled so that there are no steps, and 70 suite doors in New Quincy will be widened for easier access by wheelchair.

Finally, some rooms in New Quincy will be converted into single-floor suites, and the existing New Quincy elevator will make an additional stop on the fourth floor.

“It must be finished by Labor Day. There is no margin for error!” Gehrke said with a laugh.

Associate Director of Residential Operations Zachary Gingo said that contingency plans have been made to avoid delays and fall-term disruptions to residents.

“The project is set up with milestones throughout, so if it looked like early on in the summer there would be difficulties meeting the schedule, we will have the additional labor available,” he said.

Quincy currently does not have any students using wheelchairs, according to House administrator Susan Hamel, but that could change when a new class of sophomores moves in next fall.

Trottier said that there are no plans to renovate any other Houses in the near future, but she added that any Houses that undergo serious renovations will also be made more accessible to handicapped students.

“If there is a significant renovation scheduled, then accessibility becomes a part of that,” she said.

—Staff writer Aditi Banga can be reached at abanga@fas.harvard.edu.