Kirkland House

Welcome to Kirkland

When you picture Kirkland’s mascot, it may be a cheeky boar reminiscent of Pumbaa from The Lion King, or the bold red-and-black shield that serves as its crest, but HoCo Co-Chair Christopher Bauge ’27 has another image in mind that represents Kirk in all its glory.

Bauge reflected that “there’s an image burned in my mind of the JCR being full as sort of my representation of Kirkland.” The Junior Common Room is one of the main hubs for life in Kirkland. It hosts events ranging from the yearly Secret Santa, with more than 100 participants, to biweekly steins with food and activities, to weekly Boat Clubs featuring cookies and conversations with House tutors. Kirkland hosts a high number of student events (the jury is still out, but it might be double that of other Houses), from Super Bowl watch parties to trips like ice skating in Vermont. But what stands out most isn’t the events themselves, it’s the fact that the Kirkland community loves creating memories and spending time together.

HoCo Co-Chair Ella Niederhelman ’28 remarked that “a lot of students in the House, because it is the smallest House, are really bought into the House community. You may have a lot of events, but you might not have a lot of turnout. I feel like we have both, a lot of people show up and buy-in to the community.”

I Wish That I Kould be like the Kool Kids

With just 313 students, Kirkland is the smallest dorm at Harvard, and one of the closest. Students really get to know everyone in Kirkland: the tutors, the Deans, and even the “House elves.” “With our deans, it’s so easy to connect with them because they literally sit [in the dining hall] every meal. If you want to go say hi to them or meet with them or get a meal, they’re always here. Everybody gets a birthday card,” Bauge said.

That closeness also makes the community easy to engage with or step back from. “It’s uniquely easy to buy in and also be able to tap out whenever you want,” Bauge added. This accessibility makes Kirkland so welcoming and home-like, with the JCR full of “people being both loud and quiet all over,” Bauge said. There’s no one right way to be a Kirklander, and there’s always something for everybody.

One particular peculiar Kirkland tradition? Drama Club. Indeed, Kirkland is the only House to have its own student-run drama company, producing both a play and a musical every year. Even better, the productions lean into House pride: every performance is Kirkland-themed. Past performances included Krek (like Shrek) and Boar-bie (a.k.a. Barbie).

House mailing lists are great places to learn about and share community events and other opportunities, and Kirkland’s “Boar Lore” is no exception. Perpetually packed with activities that bolster community and spirit — like snowball fights and an enormous snowman built in the courtyard — Boar Lore will never ever bore you. That spontaneity is another trait that makes Kirkland quirky; there are always impromptu events to keep everyone engaged. Students can easily organize their own events without being a part of HoCo. Such spontaneity even extends to the theme of the week! Every Sunday at midnight, Kirkland residents gather for the “Choosening,” where a random theme for the next week is chosen, just like a high school spirit week.

Housing Day will likely bring even more excitement. Who knows what will be in store for the new Kirklanders? “Won’t spoil our housing day activity, but that’s a pretty unique one,” Bauge revealed.

Welcome to my Krib!

Now that we know about all the amazing aspects of Kirkland’s quirky community, what about what it’s actually like to live there? Let’s get technical.

The House itself is filled with charming historical references, something more recently renovated Houses sometimes lack. One of Kirkland's most unique features is Hicks House, a historic building that serves as a cozy library, with winding rooms and shelves of books. Take a book from a dusty shelf in Hicks House, and you might find some notes from a former governor from decades past!

Inside the main residential buildings, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are integrated through the hallways, encouraging cross-class friendships. Niederhelman, a sophomore, said that “they do a great job mixing you in with other years as well, and it’s great exposure. It’s a small House too, so it’s pretty easy to get around it. You can pretty much cover all of Kirkland going through the tunnels with the exception of the Annex.”

The Annex is one of two residential buildings that make up Kirkland, alongside Kirkland Main. Yet another testament to Kirkland’s spontaneity, the basement of the Annex is truly one of a kind. There’s a meditation room, a pottery studio, a screening room for movies, and even a beer brewery for the beer and wine seminar (if you’re 21 or older, of course!) As far as dining goes, Bauge is certain that “Kirkland is easily the best river dining hall, if not the best dining hall on the entire campus.” With fresh fruit and fresh bread in the dining hall three times a week, some say that a compelling argument in Kirkland’s defense is easy to make.

Housing itself also has some unexpected perks. Kirkland has a relatively high number of singles. Bauge, for example, has been in a single throughout his entire time in Kirkland. His room also has tall ceilings, tons of natural lighting, and even air conditioning. AIR CONDITIONING!

Niederhelman lucked out even more, and hopefully some rising sophomores reading this will face as lucky of a fate. She flaunts her tall ceilings and hardwood floors, and has an extremely spacious room with two common rooms. Most of the Kirk suites have arched windows and bay windows. Kirkland is also the only House to have two ten-person suites, so there are even more chances of hitting the jackpot.

On top of housing, what may be on many freshmen minds is the prospective renovations. Don’t worry, though: there are likely still a few more years until the renovations happen, depending on Eliot’s timeline. Until then, Kirklanders are more happy with what they have.

Truth Kirks

To close off our deep dive into Kirkland House, I asked the HoCo Co-Chairs to share one big takeaway about Kirkland House that rising sophomores absolutely had to hear as Housing Day comes up.

CB: I think being put in a House and sort of making this transition from freshman to sophomore year is an important time in your college career. And I think with an important event like that, you need the right people to guide you through it. And I couldn’t think of better people other than the ones in Kirkland, or the events in Kirkland, or the physical House and layout of Kirkland that supports the community to help guide somebody through that and really set them up with a system for the rest of their college experience.

EN: I don’t think my blocking group talked about anything other than Kirkland for like a month after because we were very excited to join the House culture. I think that people should keep an open mind until they come and visit the House and understand what life is like there.

Will you join Mark E. Zuckerberg ’06 and Dean Deming as fellow boars? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain. Kirkland House is FAR from boar-ing.

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