Want housing super closeby to campus, Broadway, and Riverside Park while living the life in a suite of up to 7 of your friends? Look no further than Barnard’s 620!

Location: 620 W 116 St.

  • Nearby dorms: 616, 600, the Quad, Schapiro, Woodbridge
  • Stores and restaurants: Morton William’s, Shake Shack, Pret, Sweetgreen, Ivy Leagues Stationers

Cost: $5,413 per semester (Barnard has standardized housing)

Amenities:

  • Bathrooms: Each suite has its own bathroom.
  • AC/Heating: No A/C, radiator heating in winter.
  • Kitchen: Each suite has its own kitchen, with a sink, gas stove/oven, and a refrigerator.
  • Lounge: TV lounge with a piano for your inner musician’s desires.
  • Laundry: Located in the basement.
  • Computers/Printing: The closest computer lab is on the first floor of 616.
  • Gym: None, but closeby to Barnard where their gym is in the basement of Barnard Hall. 
  • Intra-transportation: Elevator to all floors, however, 1A, 1B, and 1C have steps leading to them and therefore, are not that accessible. 
  • Hardwood/Carpet: The floors are either black linoleum or hardwood throughout the building

Room variety: 179 upperclassmen in singles and doubles in 4, 5, 6, & 7-person suites with some non-student tenant apartments. 7-person suites cannot be picked into as a group and can only be chosen through the 123 or through accommodations. 

Bwog recommendation:

The location is great: you’re right near Shake Shack, Morton Williams, Sweetgreen, Lerner, and Millie. The hill is a bit annoying, but definitely not a dealbreaker. The bathrooms are fine, and the laundry room is big. 100% worth it if you’re an upperclassman and can get a higher floor. It’s a bonus if you’re in a single because they have huge walk-in closets and windows. If you’re on a lower floor it’s better to wait it out.

Resident opinions:

  • I think mice on the lower floors were pretty common. 
  • A big con is that you will likely be able to see St. A’s from your suite, and they can get loud, but also I can’t hear them from my room usually so it’s fine.
  • There is a lot of storage space both in the kitchen and common room and the hallways for things that don’t fit in your room closet.
  • You might not have a mirror especially if you’re living in a double.
  • We didn’t have any problems with rodents really, besides a few dead cockroaches that were chilling upon move in, it was like toilet and sink stuff that required facilities calls.
  • it is kind of grimy because it is an old building. Be proactive in cleaning. The cabinets in our suite were all pretty rusty when we moved in, and we had a few facilities problems during our first few weeks.
  • 620 does not have a computer lounge or printers, lounges, or compost bins. For all of that, you have to go to 616. It’s closeby and bearable to walk to. It’s just particularly annoying at late hours because both buildings lock the front door.
  • The uphill walk to Broadway gets easier with time. If you’re going to Barnard’s campus from 620 you can bypass most of the hill by entering through the Claremont entrance of Milstein. 
  • Generally, the temperature was manageable for us. 
  • The shafted singles in my suite were pretty spacious as well.
  • My roommate and I would hang out at the swings [in Riverside Park] sometimes.

Updated 4/16/2020, 9:45 PM: This post has been updated to include that some of the flooring is hardwood. Also, the picture of the piano previously included has been removed, as it is in the 616. W116th

 ugh we love that sunset via Bwog Archives