This sign is almost as welcoming as the residents of Symposium

Nicknamed “Symposium” for its proximity to the Greek restaurant, 548 W. 113th St is a great housing option for juniors and seniors who want a small, quiet, homey place to live while still being close to all the action in Morningside Heights.

Location: 548 W. 113th St, right next to Symposium, the Greek restaurant.

  • Nearby dorms: Across the street from Watt, down the street from McBain.
  • Stores and restaurants: Near Symposium (of course), Junzi, Dig Inn, Tom’s, and Oren’s. Also near a Chase ATM and Milano Market.

Cost: Standardized to $9,538/year.

Amenities:

  • Bathrooms: One per double that the residents clean themselves.
  • AC/Heating: There’s heating, but no AC. The heating is kind of random at times. Sometimes it’ll be really hot, but opening the window cools it down. The building has a Super who is very quick and dependable if there are any maintenance issues that need to be fixed.
  • Kitchen/Lounge: Each double has a kitchen equipped with a full-sized refrigerator, sink, and stove. Although there’s no official lounge, a lot of people will hang out in the lobby, where there are couches and an Apple TV.
  • Laundry: Free, with one washer and one dryer in the basement. However, it’s not a big deal since there aren’t that many people who live in the building.
  • Fire Escapes: No fire escapes, but there are balconies. In rooms in the basement, you can also climb out of the window into the backyard.
  • Gym: None.
  • Bike Storage: There’s no bike storage, but the rooms are big enough to fit bikes in.
  • Intra-transportation: No elevators, only stairs. This isn’t much of a problem for residents, though, since there are only 4 floors and a basement.
  • Hardwood/Carpet: All floors in rooms are hardwood.

Room variety:

  • All doubles. On floors 2-4, there are two doubles on each floor. In the basement, there’s one double, and on the first floor, there’s an RA + rider.

Numbers:

  • 2 person suites: 20/1924 last year, 20/598 the year before.

Bwog recommendation:

If you’re looking for a quiet place with spacious rooms, Symposium is definitely for you. Although there are a few downsides, including the lack of elevators and the lack of printers, the coziness is worth it. It’s in a great location: not too far from campus yet still close to plenty of stores and restaurants. Be prepared to get to know all of your fellow Symposium residents, as it’s pretty small. Although you may be able to hear some of the frats when they’re having parties, it’s usually not a problem for people living in Symposium. Since you don’t have to sign people in and you can get your mail delivered to the building, it really feels like you’re living in an actual brownstone rather than a college dorm.

Resident opinions:

  • “I love it! It’s great living here. The rooms are so nice and you don’t have to sign anyone in. The rooms are chill and way bigger than the Watt rooms. A+. We love living here. It’s like a real brownstone.”
  • “I love this building. If there were singles here, I would live here again next year. The rooms are so big. I’ve hosted my entire team here, and we’ve had dinner together here. I love getting my mail sent here because I don’t have to go all the way to Wien to pick it up. Sometimes there’ll be a package left at the front and people who live here will just bring it to you. The room in the basement doesn’t particularly get a lot of light, but the other rooms are apparently drenched in light.”
  • “It’s really cool. It’s a pretty quiet dorm. Overall, people here are pretty friendly because there’s only 16 of us. It sucks not having a printer; we have to go across the street to print things. The rooms are really big, and I love living here.”