Inside HARVARD: The inaccessible Dining Halls: Part II

A peek inside the day-to-day life of an undergrad at the Harvard University, and one can see that the different dining halls spread across the 12 houses on the campus, are the heart and soul of every Harvard-ian’s journey. This is part two of our “Inside Harvard” series.

LOWELL HOUSE

A dining hall that blooms during the spring with lots of beautiful trees and flowers surrounding its yard, is that of the Lowell house.

“Our Dining Hall is the emotional and architectural heart of the House community. Its warm yellow walls and crystal chandeliers amplify its large and welcoming atmosphere. Whether taking a seat at the traditional High Table, watching the annual opera production, working out a P-set late into the night, or having supper with friends, its neo-classical beauty is exceeded only by its consummate utility. It is the perfect gathering spot for our students”, said Elizabeth G. Terry, Administrator of the Lowell House, Harvard College.

Inside Harvard - streettrotter - dining halls — A look inside the Lowell house dining hall, Harvard University, with the opera set stage still up in the background. Photo by Shraddha Gupta.

ADAMS HOUSE

Adams house is another famous dining hall with a beautiful architectural history and a great cultural relevance to its housing community. “It seem amazing to us now that they didn’t allow cellphones in here when cell phones first came out, and people didn’t sit around much. It was a communal place to eat and people to meet. But it has changed drastically in color and character over the years, and people are in here now more often, all the way through the night until the morning, and then the morning people come in”, said Sean Palfrey, faculty dean of the Adams House, Harvard University.

Boasting of a beautiful light and a really nice floor, the ambience of the Adams house dining hall is also the perfect combination of structure and function. The the ballroom dance club for Harvard practices here every Thursday, along with other social events of different scales, such as the house based dances, the drag night, and cheerful occasions like the election results and the super bowl night when everyone sits in the dining hall together.