Housing Reviews 2022: 600 W. 116th St.

The perfect location? The 20th century Renaissance Revival aesthetic? The occasional mouse? All of this and more could be yours at 600.

Location: 600 W. 116th St., at the corner of 116th & Broadway.

Nearby dorms: This building is literally across the street from Barnard’s campus, so aside from being just down the street from other 600s, it’s also very close to the Quad. It’s also fairly close to Elliott and 47 Claremont.
Stores and restaurants: This building sits on top of a Shake Shack, and just around the corner from Morton Williams, Starbucks, Pret A Manger, and Sweetgreen. Because it’s on the corner of 116th & Broadway, you’re also walking distance from Hex & Co., Book Culture, Wu & Nussbaum, Tea Magic, and a bunch of other even more expensive stuff.
Cost: $5,603 per semester (projected rate for 2022-2023).

Amenities:

Furniture: Every student is provided an XL twin bed, a desk, a chair, and a dresser. Some rooms come with wardrobes, while others have closet space built in. Some rooms also come with bookshelves.
Common Areas: TV lounge on the 2nd floor.
Security: 24-hour attendant at the front desk.
Internet: Wireless internet access (both Barnard Secure and Barnard Guest).
Bathrooms: All suites have at least one private bathroom. Some rooms have an additional private bathroom.
Kitchens: Each suite has a kitchen with a sink, electric stove and oven, and a refrigerator. No dishwasher. Microwaves are allowed, but not provided.
Flooring: Some suites have linoleum floors, others have hardwood.
Laundry: Laundry room located in the TV lounge on the 2nd floor (laundry is free in all BC dorms!). There are 6 washing machines and 8 dryers.
Mail/Packages: All students receive mail and packages at the Student Mail Room in Altschul.
Accessibility: The main entrance is not wheelchair accessible, with two small sets of stairs and no ramp. There is a wheelchair accessible entrance to the basement level through the side gate, however, Barnard Community Safety must be contacted to open the entrance every time.
Intra-transportation: There are two elevators, which is nice because the building is 12 floors. There are also 12 flights of very elaborate—very steep—pre-war stairs. To get to the basement, you have to take the elevator.
Air Conditioning/Heating: All suites have AC window units and heaters. Residents can control the settings of the AC units, but not the heaters.

Room Variety:

2–7 person suites, with predominantly double rooms.
All rooms in the A, B, and C line suites (e.g. “Suite 12A,” “Suite 11B,” etc.) have a view of Broadway or 116th St. All rooms in the E and F line suites are shafted.
Because 600 contains some non-Barnard apartments, the layout of available suites differs depending on which are being permanently occupied. In general, there is quite a bit of variance from suite to suite, even those with the same number of rooms—no two are exactly alike!

Bwog Recommendation:

How much you’ll like 600 depends entirely on your tolerance for living in a double. It’s an incredibly nice building with great amenities, but it’s almost impossible to get a single room. However, that is really the only drawback this author can think of! Of all Barnard dorms, 600 has probably the best location—it’s across the street from both Barnard and Columbia, on the corner of Broadway, making it super convenient to the surrounding restaurants and shops, while remaining super close to Riverside Park. The suites themselves are relatively spacious, with great common areas that feel more like an actual apartment than a dorm, and the kitchens and bathrooms are on the nicer side for Barnard dorms. The ancient, uncontrollable heaters can suck occasionally, but the AC window units are really nice! While there is a ton of variety from suite to suite, in general, the rooms themselves are spacious and lovely. On top of all of this, the facilities staff is super nice, and if you call them directly, they arrive in record time to fix anything that could possibly go wrong in your suite.

Resident and Visitor Opinions: