Housing Reviews 2017: Wien Hall

Wien’s stately exterior hides its interior – stressed out and isolated sophomores/juniors.

Did you have a terrible experience with your roommate and are desperately searching for a single? Don’t worry, you’ve want plenty of options. Bwog takes you through Wien Hall in this Housing Review.

Location: 411 West 116th Street, between Amsterdam and Morningside

Nearby dorms: East Campus
Stores and restaurants: Arts and Crafts Beer Parlor, Hamilton Deli, Strokos Deli, Artopolis, Friedman’s, and the 116th & Amsterdam halal cart

Cost: standardized to $9,292/year

Amenities:

Bathrooms: Standard dorm bathrooms on each floor, separated by gender and with three stall-style showers each. Also: a gender-neutral, wheelchair accessible, private bathroom on each floor.
AC/Heating: No AC at all. The radiators, which were supposedly renovated recently, either run much too hot or not at all. You’ll definitely want a fan or an (illegal) AC unit of your own to counteract the heat.
Kitchen: There’s a general kitchen on the second floor with two stovetops, two ovens, two microwaves, and a sink, which is not particularly kept up. However, some of the floors have recently renovated lounges with half-kitchens: a stovetop, microwave, and sink, but unfortunately no oven.
Lounge: Columbia actually put some money into updating the lounges, so now each floor has at least some form of a lounge. These usually feature a standard square table with chairs, as well as a coffee table, a number of armchair-style seats, and a TV. It’s not the height of luxury, but it’s something.
Laundry: There’s a free laundry room on the 2nd floor that’s always full and crowded; this includes piles of wet laundry sitting around or strewn across the floor.
Computers/Printers: There’s a computer lab on the 2nd floor with a printer that’s usually fairly consistent. The ground-floor printer is usually a bit more temperamental about when it works, but at least it’s there for when you forget to print and don’t want to swipe back in.
Fire escapes: Nope.
Bike storage: There’s a Zagster bike rack for bike rental outside, but no officially designated student bike storage for Wien.
Gym: Enjoy the hike to Dodge! Not available.
Intra-transportation: The two elevators are generally quick, when operational. One of the elevators was not functional for a bit over a week this semester, and they occasionally will get stuck on floors / experience door jams.
Hardwood/Carpet: Neither! While the halls are carpeted, single rooms have lovely color linoleum tiles. Some double have updated to hardwood, however.
Wifi: Yes, thankfully.
Bonus: By this point, you’re probably aware of the biggest benefit of Wien: your own personal sink! However, with great power (brushing your teeth without leaving your room) comes great responsibility (like not pissing in your sink).

Room variety:

Supposedly 283 singles, although the construction of floor lounges might have altered that number. Most of the singles range around 120 square feet, with a few inhumanly small ones interspersed.
16 doubles that are around 200 square feet apiece. Try to avoid these; there are better options for doubles at Columbia, and just by square footage, these are not great.
29 walk-through doubles, which are better than the standard double, but only just. 8 of these walk-throughs are “big,” totally around 290 square feet. If you can’t get a single, or better double options run out, these aren’t wholly terrible picks.

Numbers:

Singles: 10/1079 – only rising sophomores should really be concerned over getting a Wien single, since this number is fairly consistent.
Doubles: 10/2893
Walk-through Doubles: 10/2794

Bwog recommendation:

All things considered, Wien singles aren’t terrible places to live. Sure, Wien kind of looks like an industrial prison, the linoleum isn’t a great look, and the lack of AC can turn rooms into little saunas during the first few weeks of class; the trade-off for privacy as a sophomore is still a plus. Additionally, some of the higher floors that face east have spectacular views of Morningside Park and Harlem, complete with sun rises. The doubles and walk-through doubles are a bit less desirable, though.

Resident opinions:

“The walls are so incredibly thin – I can tell you exactly what kind of candles my neighbor uses, and when the girl five doors down finishes.”
“From the exposed pipes to the blue linoleum floors, there’s good reason that Wien is known as the Ritz Carlton of Columbia.” – “Feel free to attribute to ‘a proud Wien resident’ or ‘prince of Wien.'”
“I learned to love my Wien single, much like how a masochist loves pain.”
“The proximity to both EC and St. Luke’s was really compelling when I was making my room selection!”

Gallery: