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… Cathedral Gardens!

Location: 217 Manhattan Avenue, between 110th and 109th. It’s a fifteen minute walk from College Walk, the farthest dorm from campus by a longshot.

•  Nearby dorms: “Nearby” means something different when you live in CG. 110th (the dorm) is a ten minute walk away.
• Stores and restaurants: Central Park Market, Saiguette, Curry King, as well as lots of small Indian places and delis on Columbus. Delivery comes right to your door, too, no need to go to the lobby.

Cost:

• $9,800 for a single (same as all Barnard dorms)
• $8,450 for a double (same as all Barnard dorms)

Amenities:

•  Bathrooms: Most suites have a bathroom with two sinks, two showers and a toilet, as well as ample cupboard space. Toilet paper is provided, but you have to ask the desk attendant for it every time you run out. There’s also a bathroom on the tenth floor.
• AC/Heating: There’s an AC/heater in every room and common room.
• Kitchen/Lounge: Every suite in CG has a separate kitchen and large common area. The common area has a dining table, 5 chairs, two armchairs, a two-seat sofa and two small tables. The kitchen has a full-sized fridge/freezer, gas stove, oven, sink and cupboards. It’s also the only Barnard residence with a dishwasher. There’s a lounge on the tenth floor with a piano and a TV with cable.
• Laundry: The tenth floor has a laundry room with four washers and eight driers.
• Gym: None, but the 15 minute walk to campus gets you some exercise.
• Intra-transportation: Two fast and usually deserted elevators.
• Wi-Fi: Nope. There’s Ethernet and you have to buy and set up your own router. It’s very weird.
• Computers/Printers: There is one single computer in the tenth floor with a printer, but you have to use your own paper. Most students just print on campus because it’s very unreliable.
• Hardwood/carpet: Hardwood.

 Room Variety:

• Suites available to students are configured:
  • A – a double and 4 singles
  • B – 2 singles and a double
  • D – 6 singles
  • F – 2 singles and a double with ensuite bathroom
  • G – 3 singles and a double
• Rooms are some of the largest at Barnard, especially true of the doubles
• Check out the floorplans

Numbers:

• Predominantly seniors and juniors, with a few very lucky sophomores
• Floors 7-9 are exclusively faculty housing, faculty also live on other floors

Bwog recommendations:

• Cathedral Gardens is the newest dorm at Barnard and has the best rooms and amenities, that’s why Barnard can put faculty in there. Very few other dorms have a such a large common room in addition to a kitchen. It’s the opposite of corridor style and it’s great.
• The main/only disadvantage to CG is the walk. It takes at least 22 minutes to walk from Cathedral Gardens to Milbank. This is an absolute deal-breaker for some.
• You can also get packages delivered to CG and food delivered to your door, which is amazing.

Resident opinions:

•  “It is the most decked out apartment I will never be able to afford in real life”
• “Can you just say that it’s horrible so nobody will want to live here and I’ll get to pick whatever suite I want next year?”
• “CG is brilliant and has been a formative part of my college experience”
• “Something about living in a building with faculty is such a humane experience. There are no posters, you don’t have to show your ID as you enter (because you have a key to unlock the front door), delivery comes right to your door… It’s great.”
• “There are no other suites this good at Barnard, especially since housing converted those huge Plimpton singles into doubles. The only downside is the walk, and you get used to that pretty fast.”
• “The Barnard Public Safety Shuttle is a CG-ers best friend.”
• “The area shows up in Public Safety security alerts more than I’d like, but on the other hand I’ve walked home in the middle of the night next to the park countless times and never had anything bad happen. “

Gallery: