The style of John Jay, the atmosphere of Furnald, and a sprinkle of unique Wallach wiggles.

Location: Between 115th and 116th and Amsterdam

• Nearby dorms: Hartley and John Jay
• Nearby dining halls: John Jay, JJ’s Place
• Nearby stores: Strokos, Hamilton Deli, 116th, and Broadway Halal Cart.
• Close proximity to Hamilton Hall and Butler Library
• Cost: The 2024-2025 projected first-year rate is $11,000.

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: Each floor has seven single-use private bathrooms (three in each of the two main hallways, and one in the center of the floor), with their own showers, toilet, and sinks. The bathrooms are not always the cleanest despite being cleaned twice a week, but they’re not too bad.
• AC/Heating: There are AC window units but no control over the extreme heat (it’s always on during the winter), so invest in some fans to work with the AC units (not too bad if you blast the AC and fans).
• Lounges: There is a lounge located in the middle of every floor featuring a table, a large TV, and several well-cushioned chairs. The lounges feel quite open and spacious, in this Bwogger’s opinion. They are cleaned daily during the week.
• Kitchen: Located in each lounge is a kitchen with an oven, a stovetop, a sink, and a microwave.
• Laundry: Use either John Jay or Hartley’s laundry rooms in the bowels of the basement tunnels underneath Hartley, John Jay, and Wallach. These are cramped, but in a fun Tomb Raider way. And, of course, they’re a vital part of Columbia’s history. Beware of exposed wiring, though!
• Printing: There is a PawPrint printer in the lobby of Wallach. 
• Fire Escapes: Use the stairs.
• Elevators: One on each side of the building; as far as elevators go, these are fairly speedy and clean and overall respectable! 
  • However, only one elevator goes to the 10th floor.
• The 10th floor features the Wallach Sky Lounge, a neat little study room filled with chairs and bookshelves, with some (small) windows facing out onto campus.
• In the middle of the lobby, across from the security desk, there is the Wallach Gamer Lounge, a newly-renovated space for e-gaming.
• Just like Hartley, there is a pavilion/seating area right outside the doors of Wallach, with several tables and benches available.

Room Variety:

• Across nine residential floors, there are 141 singles, ranging roughly from 100 to 125 square feet, and 51 doubles, each at around 200 square feet.
• The views from windows facing into campus (overlooking Butler Library and Butler Lawn) are very pleasant. Views that face east have a great sunrise view. 

Bwog Recommendations:

• Wallach is nice to live in (though it definitely depends on your floormates). Especially with the communal kitchen areas, some people may not clean up after themselves, but as long as you have a respectful floor, that should be no problem. The location is perfect for quick access to the dining halls. The singles are spacious as well. 
• Wallach is a pretty solid place to live! It offers a private quality, but also one interconnected to a majority of the First Year class through passageways to Hartley and John Jay.
• Like Hartley and John Jay, being located so close to several dining halls is very convenient, and it is generally centrally located and never a far walk from anything located immediately on campus.
• The size, privacy, and relative cleanliness of our bathrooms are a consistent source of jealousy from friends in other buildings.
• I have personally never seen a cockroach on my floor, only some in the basement when doing my laundry, though I do have friends that have seen some.
• There have been reports of mice, and I did see a centipede once. 
• The walls and doors are fairly soundproof (when walking in the hallway, I will hear noises from other rooms, but upon entering my room, I can only hear very loud sounds from outside); however, the rooms closest to the lounges do seem to be susceptible to sound, especially when the door to the lounge is kept open.
• Wallach is pretty understated since it is less communal and (seemingly) quieter than Hartley, its companion building, but it is overall very clean and spacious and a chill and enjoyable place to live.
• There are constant fire alarms, most of which are caused by cooking incidents (they get old real fast). 

Read past Wallach reviews here!

Resident Opinions:

• “The boogie man stalks the hallways, but as long as you aren’t roaming around after 1AM, you should be good.”
• “If you’re choosing Wallach for the better bathrooms, think again.”
• “Wallach is a happy medium of social and quiet, you can connect with floormates and also have a good environment for focusing on work.” 
• “Wallach is definitely not the most social dorm, but you will likely find a few close friends within the blue walls.” 
• “The community and communality of Wallach has heightened my experience as a Columbia freshman more so than I could have ever imagined.”
• “Definitely a less rah-rah first-year experience than Carman and John Jay.”
• “Living in Wallach was a hot mess: constant fire alarms, hospital sirens, and large roaches in the bathrooms from time to time.”
• “Constant fire alarms and elevator repairs aside, I found some of my closest friends in Wallach by lounge hunting. You never know who you are going to meet in your lounge or in that of another floor’s. It’s hard to think that next year I won’t be coming back to Wallach.”
• “Wallach is quiet yet lively. Best floor lounges out of all the first year dorms.”
• “A home away from home.”

All photos via Bwog staff or Bwarchives