The dorm for those with finer sensibilities…

Location: 628 W 114th

• Nearby dorms: Hogan, Broadway, Schapiro, 114th brownstones
• Stores and restaurants: Sweetgreen, Morton Williams, Halal carts/food trucks, Shake Shack, Book Culture, Ban Ban Shop, Dos Toros

Cost: Columbia Housing has not released the projected cost for upperclassmen housing in the 2025-2026 academic year, but the upperclassmen housing rate for the 2024-2025 academic year was $12,222/year.

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: Four single-use bathrooms per floor
• AC/Heating: River was just renovated over the summer! It now has AC.
• Kitchen: Two shared kitchen lounges per floor. These have an oven, sink, and fridge.
• Lounge: Two lounges/kitchens per floor. Each floor is divided in half, so while it is technically corridor style, it feels a little bit like a suite. There is also a TV lounge in the basement!
• Laundry: Located in the basement (four washers and four dryers)
• Computers/Printing: Printer located in the lobby
• Fire Escapes: Yes.
• Gym: Located in the basement
• Bike Storage: Not Available
• Intra-transportation: One elevator for the whole dorm that is quite old and makes a game-show-like buzzer sound, but it is relatively fast.
• Hardwood/Carpet: hardwood in dorm rooms and carpet in the hallways
• Bonus: There is an exercise room in the basement, plus a computer lab!

Room Variety:

• 6 Residential Floors with 127 singles
• Singles range from 109-110 square feet on the lower end to 145-147 on the higher end
• Corridor-style Housing

Stats:

• According to 2023 Room Selection Data, 23% of students were apart of a group
  • 100% were in rising senior groups
• There are some SICs that occupy River Hall; Application Development Initiative, Muse House, Muslim Students House, upLift, and Writer’s House.

Bwog Recommendation:

• River is definitely on the quieter side. It is a good option if you want a less-noisy counterpart to East Campus. There is a nice sense of community.
• The single-use bathrooms are a nice amenity in comparison to communal bathrooms. .
• When the weather is permitting, taking a stroll alongside Riverside Park is a good way to get away from the stress of Columbia and the city. 
• There is a slight hill when walking to campus from River, so when it is slippery/wet it can be annoying to walk to campus.
• Seniors in General should definitely look to River after the Watt studio singles go. The rooms are spacious, you have privacy, and the location is just a short walk away from Broadway stores.
  

Resident Opinions (thank you Writer’s House):

• Countertop, unbalanced and uprooted. Soulless and hotel-esque. Joy and wood bereft.
• River Hall is a hall for crazy cats who make coffee and maybe breakfast at the dorm, but have lunch and dinner out. Residents are very highly reviewed by the Security staff (“You guys are quiet, it’s nice.” “Like even on Fridays I don’t even seen you guys going out much.” “So you’re all really into studying?”)
• Singles of decent size. Air conditioning. Questionable heating. Laundry room that is too small. Great basement lounge. Good fridge in lounge. Weird shelves in lounge. Fun time.
• This place is so soulless, I become less religious with every waking hour – one morning, I woke up next to a Christopher Hitchens book that I don’t even OWN.
  

Photos via Bwog Archives