Tour of McCormick Hall 2018
Tour Video
What’s in each room?
Every room has a bed, desk, chair, and book case for each occupant. In the East and West Towers, there is a built-in bureau for each uncrowded occupant. The bureaus contain a small vanity with a mirror and light, drawers, a closet space, and storage cabinets. In crowded rooms, an armoire is added to accommodate the storage needs of the added person. East Tower rooms have carpeting, while West Tower and Annex rooms are tiled. Heating is provided, but there is no air conditioning. There is access to the MIT wireless networks throughout McCormick, and there is a ethernet port that can accommodate an internet connection in each room. Housing also has their own Virtual Tour which can be accessed here.
West Tower
Each floor is corridor style and has a kitchen, two communal bathrooms, and a “laundry room” equipped with two large sinks, an ironing board and iron, and a clothes drying rack. Washers and and dryers are located in the basement. Graduate Resident Advisors (GRAs) live on floors 3, 4, and 6, and are each responsible for residents on two floors. Each floor contains doubles facing the Charles River and Kresge Oval, as well as singles facing the courtyard and Green Hall, for a total of about 26 residents per floor. The second floor has only seven residents with a kitchen, lounge, and bathroom because the Housemasters’ apartment occupies the other half of the floor. Rooms and hallways in the West Tower do not have carpeting. Floors in the West Tower can be accessed by the elevator or stairs.
The images below depict a triple in the West Tower. This room would typically be a double, but may be crowded to be a triple (as shown). It includes a bed, desk, bookcase, and dresser for each person living in the room:
East Tower
Every floor has two suites, each with a kitchen and communal bathroom. The GRAs live on floors 3, 5, and 7, and are each responsible for residents on two floors. Each suite contains approximately 8 to 10 single rooms, with various sizes as described below. All rooms and hallways in east tower have carpeting, while kitchens and bathrooms are tiled. Floors in the East Tower can be accessed using the elevator or stairs.
Types of Singles in the East Tower:
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BOX: A “box” is the third largest single in McCormick. Rooms x24, x26, x34, x37 (where “x” denotes the floor number) are boxes.
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SHOEBOX: A “shoebox” is the smallest single in McCormick. Room numbers of shoeboxes are x21, x30, x31, x40 (where “x” denotes the floor number).
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CORNERS : These rooms are the second-smallest singles in the dorm. Rooms x22, x29, x32, x39 (where “x” denotes the floor number) are corners.
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L : An “L” is the second-largest single room in McCormick (the largest is the first floor single in the Annex). The room is so named because there is a little alcove area that makes the room into an “L” shape. Rooms numbered x23, x28, x33, x38 (where “x” denotes the floor number) are L’s.
The images below depict an shoebox, the smallest type of single in the East Tower. A typical single has the following furniture: a bed, a desk, a bookcase, and a dresser:
Annex
The Annex is a small three-story row house that was added to McCormick in 1999. Each floor has three or four rooms—mostly double and triples, with a couple of singles. The Annex first floor single is the largest single in McCormick and is the only one that is handicapped-accessible. Each floor has a communal bathroom. A large kitchen on the first floor is shared by the whole Annex. The floor tutor is on the 2nd floor. The Annex has its own lounge, laundry, and storage facilities in the basement. The floors of the annex are linked by staircases.
Basement
In the basement there are two soda machines, a snack machine, the Game Room, the Laundry Room (with washers, dryers, folding tables, and sinks), and storage rooms.
Bathroom
Until a floor reaches a unanimous vote at a floor meeting, the bathroom(s) for the floor are single sex (women only). There is a men’s bathroom on the first floor and a unisex bathroom in the East Penthouse.
Kitchens & Lounges
In the East and West Towers, each kitchen has a stove, a sink, a cabinet for each resident, and a refrigerator. While each resident can store a small amount in the floor/suite fridge, many residents choose to have their own mini fridges in their rooms. The amount of cupboard space varies depending on the floor, and most the of the cabinets are capable of being locked (you provide the lock). Students are responsible for bringing cooking and eating implements (some items can be borrow from the House Government-run Dish Closet), and they are responsible for keeping the kitchens clean. Cleaning staff mop the floor and wipe the counters.
The lounges are on odd floors of East Tower and the second floor of West Tower. The lounge has a study area space and a TV which includes subscriptions like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO, xFinity on Campus, etc. for residents to use.
The West Tower has one kitchen per floor. Odd-numbered East Tower floors have one kitchen and one lounge; even-numbered East Tower floors have two kitchens.
Penthouses
There are two penthouses: the East Penthouse and the West Penthouse. Each has a lounge space with an amazing view of Boston and the Charles River. The East Penthouse also contains the gym, music room, and the Kitchen in the Clouds. There is also an herb garden surrounding the East Penthouse that the GRAs maintain. These penthouses can be reserved through the Room Reservation Chair. To get to the West Penthouse you must take the stairs from 7W, but you can reach the East Penthouse with the elevator.
Other Facilities
Other McCormick facilities are displayed in alphabetical order.
