An old building that’s getting bandaid fixes and still giving students great living experiences.

Location: 549 West 113th Street

• Nearby dorms: McBain Hall, 548 West 113th Street (Brownstone), Broadway Hall, Hogan Hall, 619 West 113th Street
• Stores and restaurants: Wu and Nussbaum, Milano Market, Tom’s, University Hardware, Junzi, Symposium

Cost: Columbia Housing has not released the projected cost for upperclassmen housing in the 2026-2027 academic year, but the upperclassmen housing rate for the 2025-2026 academic year was $13,222/year.

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: One private bathroom in each apartment.
• AC/Heating: No AC. Bring a fan.
• Kitchen: Each apartment has a small kitchen with a fridge and a stove, but no microwave. 
• Lounge: Certain apartments have their own private living space, but no floors have main lounges.
• Laundry: Each floor has one washer and one dryer. It’s usually not a big deal, unless you make it one by never timing your laundry. Don’t be that person.
• Computers/Printing: Yes, there is a printer in the lobby. The housing website will tell you otherwise though? I promise, it’s there.
• Fire Escapes: Yes! Except you can’t really go on them (for non-fire purposes) because everyone in Broadway Hall and the frats can see you. 
• Gym: None. 
• Bike Storage: None.
• Intra-transportation: One elevator that you must take to get to the basement to take out your trash. It gets kinda annoying, but you’ll live.
• Hardwood/Carpet: Hardwood.

Room Variety:

• 6 floors with a total of 33 singles and 66 doubles
• Studio Doubles: Nine on each floor.
• 1-Bedroom Doubles: Only two on each floor. These have a bedroom and a common area, which is typically converted into a second bedroom so each resident has their own room.
• 2-Bedroom Doubles: Only two per floor. These have two bedrooms and a living space along with the usual bathroom and kitchen.

Stats:

• Housing Data from the 2025 Room Selection shows the make-up to be 76% rising juniors, 21% rising seniors, and 2% rising sophomores. 5% of students in Watt were in mixed-point groups with an average point value of 30.83.
• 100% of students who selected into Watt Hall participated as part of a group. Find a friend or don’t live here!
• 2-bedroom singles were selected by both rising seniors and juniors. 

Bwog Recommendation:

Watt is a cozy place. If you like cozy, it might be for you! It’s a great place to live if you have a close friend who you know you want to come home to every day and sit at a (wobbly) dining table with for a nice rant. It’s not as great of a place to live if you aren’t certain of or don’t like your friend’s living habits, as you’ll be living in pretty close quarters with them. Think of Watt like prep for living in any NYC apartment after graduation. If you can learn to live with roommates in Watt, then you’re probably all set for that post-grad life! (Well, the living situation, at least.)

Resident Opinions:

• “The private bathroom and kitchen is a pro.”
• “I love the warm walls and wooden floors. It’s an old building, but the rooms feel like you’re at home.”
• “Having one laundry room on each floor can be a bit of a hassle at times, especially if you like to do your laundry on the weekends. Also, some people still haven’t learned how to do their laundry as juniors and seniors and that’s just embarrassing.”
• “Love the view of frat row. Great ambiance when they play their beats at 2 am.”
• “My stove’s numbering wore off, so I can’t tell what temperature I’m cooking my food at. Do you think I should’ve reported that to Facilities earlier?”
• “Have you seen the updated carpeting and paint job in the hallways? Who wouldn’t want to live with that?”

Header via Bwarchives

Gallery images via Bwogger and Bwarchives