Housing approacheth. And, unless you’re on top of it, it’s probably coming up sooner than you think. Bwog’s got you covered; we’ll be rolling out two housing reviews per day until no residence hall is left un-reviewed. Prepare to get (even more) excited: this year, we’re reviewing Barnard residence halls, too. Reviews for all! Today’s residence hall is… Harmony!


Location: 544 W. 110 St, between Amsterdam and Broadway

  • Nearby dorms: Near the College Residence (Barnard, with some Columbia students)
  • Stores and restaurants: Near D’Agostino’s and Westside Market. Also close to Chipotle, 5 Guys, 1020, Hungarian. Much closer to Absolute Bagels than most other dorms.

Cost:

  • $8,168/year, same as Nussbaum, River

Amenities:

  • Bathrooms: 2 bathrooms on each floor. Three showers, three toilets for 11 people. Badly ventilated with no windows so imagine a McBain-like situation.
  • AC/Heating: No AC, but heating.
  • Kitchen/Lounge: Large, spacious kitchens with lots of counter space. Floor two has a much smaller kitchen with a separate lounge. Otherwise each kitchen has a table and chairs.They also all have large flat screen TVs with cable.
  • Laundry: Four washing machines and four dryers in the basement, all take flex.
  • Computers/Printers: One computer and one printer in the first floor lounge.
  • Gym: There is a gym on the second floor with a TV and AC. It has three treadmills and two ellipticals.
  • Intra-transportation: One very small elevator. Also can get to a convenient staircase by turning immediately right at the security desk. The other staircases are terrifyingly narrow and steep.
  • Hardwood/Carpet: Hardwood flooring in the rooms, tile in the bathroom, wood in the common spaces.
  • Bike storage: Bike storage room in the basement, bike rack outside.

Room Variety:

  • So much room variety.Rooms range from 79 to 160 sqft. So either smaller than a John Jay single or very spacious.
  • There are 80 singles and 6 doubles, 4 of which are on the second floor.

463px-Harmony_5001Numbers:

  • Harmony Hall Single: 10/2992
  • Harmony Hall Double: 10/2484
  • Harmony Hall is mostly juniors, but it is possible to get a single here as a sophomore. A very small single probably.

Bwog recommendation:

    Don’t underestimate the distance: if it’s an effort to go to Westside for groceries this probably won’t be the dorm for you. But still, if you are looking for something that feels a bit less like a college residence hall, this might be a good choice. The amenities (especially the kitchens) are very nice. And even though it is a hall style dorm, each floor is still fairly small and doesn’t feel as huge and impersonal as Broadway and Schapiro can. This Bwog reviewer is sold on Harmony, but she also lived on campus the last two years and needs to get as far away as possible.

Resident opinions:

  • “The facilities are really nice, like it’s not going to pull a McBain and have its ceiling fall on you, but it’s just for really quiet people. It’s pretty anti-social. My RA calls it a Ghost Town. And holy Jesus does it get hot.”
  • “Even being three blocks away from the other dorms gives you a sense of space. It’s a straight shot to Central Park, and it’s the closest walk home from the subway.”
  • “Lots of natural light.”
  • “My 89 sqft single was too small, and I moved out second semester.”

Gallery: