Down for great views, close proximity to Riverside, and the occasional kitchen mouse? Carlton Arms is the place for you!

Location: Southern corner of W 109th and Riverside.

Nearby dorms: 110 (Barnard) and Harmony, but McBain, Nuss and other slightly more downtown residences are a 5 min walk away or less.
Stores and restaurants: Absolute Bagels, Koronet Pizza, Roti Roll, Suite, Thai Market, CVS, Westside, H Mart, Samad’s Gourmet, and more!

Cost: $9,872/year

Amenities:

Bathrooms: Each suite has two bathrooms with two sinks and some combination of three showers and three toilets between the two. The bathrooms are gendered but this can be changed with the help of your RA.
AC/Heating: No AC, but breeze from the Hudson keeps rooms cool and the heaters are very aggressive. That being said, if you are on a corner facing the river, it can get a bit drafty during winter.
Lounge: Each suite has its own lounge with a few chairs, a table, a TV, and a whiteboard.
Kitchen: Each suite has a kitchen with a microwave, stovetops, oven, sink, fridge, and lots of cabinets. If you are in a larger suite it can get pretty cramped in there, though.
Laundry: 9 washers and dryers; normal wait times and only accessible via elevator to the basement.
Fire escapes: There are fire escapes accessible through the kitchens and you’re not technically supposed to go on them but everyone does.
Bike storage: fairly spacious bike room in the basement!
Computers/printers: 1 printer in the lobby.
Gym: Small gym on the top floor with a treadmill and some lifting equipment.
Intra-transportation: two very chatty, kinda slow elevators.
Hardwood/carpet: Rooms have hardwood, the rest of the suite has carpet.

Room variety: 

  • Suites have between 4-10 rooms, comprised of double/single combinations that can be seen in the floor plans on the housing website. However, you register in the kinds of groups listed below, to combine with other groups.
  • The building has 25 singles and 53 doubles.
  • Sophomores, juniors, seniors, transfer students, SEAS combined plan students, graduate students, and a few non-Columbians

2018-2019 numbers from the housing website:

Carlton Arms – 3 Person Suite (1 Sgl/1 Dbl) 10/321
Carlton Arms – 4 Person Suite (2 Sgl/1 Dbl) 10/983
Carlton Arms – 4 Person Suite (2 Dbl) 10/981
Carlton Arms – 5 Person Suite (5 Sgl) 30/2407
Carlton Arms – 5 Person Suite (3 Sgl/1 Dbl) 20/2436
Carlton Arms – 6 Person Suite (2 Sgl/2 Dbl) 20/2502
Carlton Arms – 8 Person Suite (2 Sgl/3 Dbl) 10/393

Bwog recommendation:

A lot of people are turned off by the distance from campus, but otherwise Carlton is a really great choice for people who enjoy suite-style living and like the idea of being more integrated with the rest of Morningside Heights. As with any suite-style dorm, your experience may vary drastically based on your suite mates, but the views are really great and it’s possible to get amazing rooms even as a sophomore. With a pest/mold situation no worse than most Columbia dorms and a surprisingly good location, Clarms is an excellent place to live with your friends!

Resident Opinions:

  • “The most underrated dorm!!!!”
  • “Cute views, cute fire escape for smoking weed.”
  • “Good floors, bad mold, the roaches are friendly.”
  • “Close to Westside and H Mart for mango jelly purposes.”
  • “Some people decorate their suites!”
  • “Riverside Park! Period.”
  • “Surprisingly good for parties! EC Lite???”
  • “Good water pressure and the water is always hot.”
  • “I accidentally got in shape from power walking to and from class every day.”
  • “Nothing beats the view of sunset over Riverside.”

Photos:

All images via me!