Lowell House
House Community
From its community to its bright yellow (Mr. Lowell’s favorite color) dining hall, Lowell House is a vibrant home for its ~500 residents. “There's such a community feeling within Lowell with the tutors and the people here and the HoCo here and everyone else that it has totally eclipsed my entire Harvard experience in a way that’s really awesome,” said Housing Committee (HoCo) co-chair Sofia M. Giannuzzi ’25.
Giannuzzi’s sentiment is reflected in the various events that are held to connect the Lowell community. Each Thursday, the Lowell Resident Deans invite students to Lowell Tea in their residence. Giannuzzi enjoys this weekly event because of the uniquely large effort that the Resident Deans make to see students weekly, “making a space where students actually want to come in, talk to tutors, talk to their Deans, talk to each other.”
“I think the tutors are great, too,” said HoCo co-chair Linh Vu ’25. “A lot of them have been here long enough that they really know the House system well, and they know how to support students, and they go above and beyond to secure funding for events, like helping us host certain initiatives, like Lunar New Year, or assisting us in ways beyond just academic.”
Lowell’s mascot is up for debate. Some Lowellians prefer the Blue Man (not associated with the Boston group), but at one point it was Bacchus, the Greek god. Lowellians can pick whichever one they think is more fun!
Lowell Events
Lowell HoCo organizes Winterball, Lowell’s Winter Formal, and Bacchanalia, what Vu considers the biggest spring formal on campus. “Every theme is supposed to be extravagant, but we also make it accessible for everyone by keeping the price low so that anyone on campus can come and enjoy this,” said Vu. In addition to coffee houses once a semester, they also plan Steins on Thursday nights, with food, drinks, and funny themes, as well as trivia nights. “The trivia gets kind of hectic. It’s like nothing scarier than playing trivia with a bunch of Harvard students and professors,” said Giannuzzi. HoCo also hosted a Super Bowl party this past semester and is currently planning a trip to Six Flags, as well as some “totally paid-for rage room outings,” according to Giannuzi. What Harvard student doesn’t occasionally need to blow off some steam?
Lowell Speeches are another unique element of the Lowell House social calendar. Students can give five-minute speeches on any topic and are paired with a Lowell Senior Common (SCR) room member. “It’s a great way for people to know about each other. And then for students to feel more connected to their SCR mentor,” said Lin.
“The speeches happen right towards the end of dinner. So people who are eating get to listen and hear some stories from some other Lowellians which is awesome,” said Giannuzzi.
Housing and Dorms
Last renovated in 2019, Lowell has an assortment of suites available, even for sophomores.
“What’s cool about a lot of little suites is that they’re two floors. So you have a stairwell in the middle of them,” said Giannuzzi. Lowell also has a 10-man and a nine-man suite. Overflow housing is in Ridgeley, above Insomnia Cookies. “Every time you walk in, you can just smell cookies,” said Giannuzzi. Complete with kitchens and bathrooms, “Ridgeley rooms are huge,” she said. In terms of getting a single, “I think sophomores who want hallway singles can get hallway singles,” said Giannuzzi. “If you’re going for a suite, then things get a little bit trickier.” If you get housed in Lowell, you might end up in the former suite of notable alumni, such as Natalie Portman and Matt Damon.
Lowell has a lot to offer with their famous duplexes. Their general setup is a downstairs common room with a bathroom and bedrooms upstairs. Rumor has it that the room will be extra nice if you apply for one near the Dean's residence… we’re talking expensive hand air dryers.
House Amenities
In addition to Lowell’s rooming situation, the House’s location is ideal. “It’s so centrally located. So well placed,” said Giannuzzi. Lowell sits right next to the Malkin Athletic Complex and is just a short walk to the Yard and the River, making it desirable. Playa Bowls and Insomnia Cookies are also right at Lowellians’ fingertips.
The general style of the House is Victorian-esque, and you can find evidence of this in the beautiful House library or Junior Common Room (JCR) decorated with historical wallpaper. Think of the library as a small-scale Widener, right at home. You can find library cards and cataloging along the walls and a cozy fireplace that’s lit during special events.
Lowell’s Bell Tower is another notable feature of Lowell. Every Sunday at 1 p.m., students can go up the tower to ring the Russian bells. “It’s really beautiful, you can see all of campus, a lot of Cambridge,” said Giannuzzi. Well, that is if they don’t wake you up at 7 a.m.
There’s more underneath Lowell’s two grassy courtyards and beautiful brick buildings. “We have a movie theater, this great underground lounge bar space. We have art rooms, maker spaces, just like music rooms, any and everything you could want,” said Giannuzzi. “And it's all very clean, nice, you know, mice and cockroach free, which is a big advantage of Lowell.” Plus, let’s not forget the squash/basketball court in the Underground and a two-floor gym all within the House.
Perhaps it is the clean squash courts that have helped Lowell Intramurals on their way to an almost eight-game winning streak in squash. “We’re seeing a new vigor in Lowell students this year,” said Giannuzzi.
“Lately, the Lowell community has been really excited about broomball,” she added. (Broomball is an intramural sport that is similar to ice hockey without ice skates, played with brooms and balls.)
From its fantastic underground amenities to weekly tea time, Lowellians enjoy a host of special benefits. Based on our very unofficial data and impressions, Lowell can be described in the following words: poised, yellow, historical, and British(?). Hope for Lowell on Housing Day if these vibes speak to you, or just if you enjoy loud bells or drinking tea with your pinky up.