Some lucky first years might find that they have a little extra space in their dorm rooms next year. Though the dorms are all built to have standardized rooms, a few rooms on campus have ended up with a few extra square feet than others.
A fourth-floor Hyde room, located at the end of the hallway, its ceiling is raised to meet the roof. This makes the room appear much larger than a normal room in Hyde, although the floor space is exactly the same.
Room 514 in Osher Hall is also somewhat of an anomaly. According to Director of Residential Life Kim Pacelli, the typical two-room double has an extra bedroom, albeit, a small one.
"It was somewhat of a fluke that the room had more space. It's located in the corner of the building where there happened to be some dead space overhanging the roof," Pacelli said.
While some rooms are not intended to be different, there are a few designed with specific purposes in mind. Rooms 6D and 12D of Coles Tower are three-room triples, with a more apartment-like design that includes a small kitchen. While currently these rooms house students, they were designed for other purposes.
"Those rooms were originally intended for performers and guests of the College. During the renovations several years ago we began using them," Pacelli said. "We don't expect to use them after this year."
Coles Tower also contains a penthouse apartment on its 16th floor. This two room apartment, which contains a bedroom, kitchen, and living space, has served as an apartment for the Assistant Director of Residential Life for several years now.
"This room was always intended for professional staff. It is comparable to a rented apartment," Pacelli explained of the somewhat unusual living space.
These unique rooms in Coles Tower were most likely built when the Tower catered to a unique living program. In its beginnings during the early '60s, Coles Tower housed all seniors in what was known as the Senior Center.
"This capstone residential experience once served to house the senior class before class size grew. It was a program to boost community within the Bowdoin senior class," noted Pacelli.
The larger, apartment-style rooms in Coles Tower provided living space for faculty members who lived in the Senior Center and helped to lead and facilitate camaraderie.
Another apartment-style room was included on the first floor of Howard Hall. While the initial purpose of the room was most likely to provide housing for a staff member, the room has since allowed flexibility for unusual housing requests.
"We have occasionally used the room to make accommodations in living situations. One year, we had a married couple living on campus and they lived there because it fit their needs," said Pacelli. "We are still undecided in how to use it for next year."