Kirkland House

Kirkland House
Residential House at Harvard University
Harvard University
Kirkland House Courtyard
Location 95 Dunster Street
Coordinates 42°22′15″N 71°07′13″W / 42.3709°N 71.1204°W / 42.3709; -71.1204Coordinates: 42°22′15″N 71°07′13″W / 42.3709°N 71.1204°W / 42.3709; -71.1204
Full name John Thornton Kirkland House
Established 1931
Named for John Thornton Kirkland
Sister college Grace Hopper College
Freshman dorm Thayer Hall
{{Faculty Deans}} Tom and Verena Conley
Dean Soha Bayoumi
HoCo chairs Chris Dolliff and Handong Park
Tutors 20
Website www.kirkland.harvard.edu

Kirkland House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University, located near the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was named after John Thornton Kirkland, president of Harvard University from 1810 to 1828.

Background

Some of the buildings were built in 1914 but construction was not completed until 1933. Kirkland is one of the smallest Houses at Harvard, but has nevertheless managed to win many intramural and house-spirit contests, most recently the 2012 Straus Cup. Before Harvard opted to use a lottery system to assign housing to upperclassmen, Kirkland was considered the "jock house" because its location near Anderson Bridge and the Soldiers Field made it a desirable home and convenient place to dine for Harvard athletes.

The Kirkland House Boat Club last won the Agassiz Cup in 2003

The first Master of Kirkland House was Edward A. Whitney. Walter Eugene Clark succeeded Whitney as the second Master on September 1, 1935.[1][2] The title of "House Master" was done away with at Harvard University in 2016 and was replaced with the title "Faculty Dean." The current Faculty Deans of Kirkland House are Tom and Verena Conley, and the current Allston Burr Academic Dean is Soha Bayoumi, PhD.[3]

Kirkland House boasts many traditions, such as its opening ceremony (complete with Minutemen reenactors playing the drums and fife as they process around the House, followed by the house Faculty Deans, tutors, and students), Secret Santa week (an in-house-only series of gifts, jokes, and events) -- accompanied by bawdy skits in the dining hall, and a Holiday Dinner and Dance complete with a mock roast boar (the Boar is the mascot of Kirkland House).

Kirkland House has a gym, lounge, game room, music rooms, and performance and event spaces for students. It also has a wall honoring the history of the Kirkland House Boat Club, which has one of the most decorated records in all of Harvard house rowing. Most recently, head coach Christopher D.H. Row—a resident tutor, art history doctorate and master of divinity—led the KHBC to five consecutive Agassiz Cup victories (1999-2003) and was awarded by the KHBC the title of "Admiral-for-Life" in recognition of that accomplishment. Among the most recent additions is a brewery, operated and maintained by the Kirkland House Brew Club, which occupies the space once used as the house darkroom.

Kirkland House is located four blocks south of Harvard Yard, adjacent to Eliot House, and across Dunster Street from the Malkin Athletic Center.

The House Seal is a black cross with three silver stars on a red field. The black cross edged with silver comes from the arms of the Diocese of Carlisle (where the name Kirkland originated). The stars are borrowed from the arms of many other Kirkland families. John Thornton Kirkland, of course, was president of Harvard long before the U.S. Civil War. The red (crimson) field is for the University. The Kirkland Shield, therefore, has absolutely nothing to do with the Confederate flag.

Constituent halls

A view facing the Kirkland House dining hall, in May.

Kirkland House comprises the following three halls:

  • Smith Halls
  • Bryant Hall
  • Faculty Deans' Residence
  • Hicks House
  • 20 DeWolfe Street apartments

Smith Halls, which were constructed in 1914 as freshman dormitories; Bryant Hall and the Masters' Residence, both constructed in 1931; and Hicks House, which dates from 1762 and serves as the House Library. Kirkland students also live in the 20 DeWolfe Street apartments. Located in Smith Halls, the dining hall and Junior Common Room boast magnificent woodwork and high ceilings that highlight Kirkland's classic charm and elegance.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "CLARK APPOINTED TO FILL VACANCY LEFT BY WHITNEY". The Harvard Crimson. 14 May 1935. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  2. ↑ Ward W. Briggs (1 January 1994). Biographical Dictionary of North American Classicists. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0-313-24560-2.
  3. ↑ House Masters: Tom and Verena Conley. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
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