Also known as “one of the brownstones,” 627 West 115th Street truly is the perfect dorm for those students who wish to forget that they live in a dorm.

Location: 627 W 115th St. (between Riverside and Broadway)

  • Nearby dorms: Woodbridge, Schapiro, the 600s, River
  • Stores and Restaurants: MoWi, Starbucks, Sweetgreen, Shake Shack, the Columbia University Bookstore (this, let’s be clear, is definitely not a plus). Not near Westside (this, let’s be clear, is definitely a plus – see Fight List: Westside Market)

Cost: $10,474 a year (projected 2021-2022)

Amenities: 

  • Bathrooms: One per apartment (and yes, you gotta clean it yourself)
  • AC/Heating: No AC, this is definitely a bummer, but hey, it’s the New York experience, right?
  • Kitchen: Standard kitchen with a fridge, sink, and stove
  • Lounge: No lounge for the building
  • Laundry: In the basement 
  • Computers/Printing: No printers, no computer room. But remember, you are very close to campus…
  • Gym: No in-building gym, but again… proximity to campus (Dodge). 
  • Elevator: Non-existent. Think about the stairs as your workout for the day. 
  • Hardwood/Carpet: No carpet, so those nice New York City floors are yours to stare at
  • Roof: Yes! And it is accessible!

Room Variety: 

  • 5 3-person suites
    • 1 single (101-145 square feet), 1 double (158-219 square feet)
  • 5 studio doubles (317-456 square feet)
  • 4 studio singles (200-250 square feet)
  • 1 studio triple (923 square feet)

Numbers (we all want to forget about 2020, so here are the numbers from 2019): 

  • 2018-2019 2-person suite: 20/541
  • 2018-2019 3-person suite: 10/2721

Bwog Recommendation: 

627 W 115th St. is a beautiful brownstone, which means you get to feel a little more like a true resident of the city. The lack of an elevator or AC could easily be looked at as a more “authentic” apartment experience, but if you don’t want to give up those kinds of amenities, this brownstone may not be for you. We at Bwog though, we like the idea of very spacious rooms with campus so close by. 

Check out these beautiful floor plans: 

All images of this gorgeous brownstone via Columbia Housing