Residence Hall or Resort? Dorm Rooms Go 5-Star
Aaron Steiner
Contributor
Posted:
10/2/09
At the University of Notre Dame, where I'm a senior, one of the campus dorms -- Stanford Hall -- is affectionately called the "Cinderblock Palace" by its residents.
Dating to 1957, this building is a far cry from some of the more realistic palaces going up near college campuses these days. High quality university-owned dormitories as well as independent developments targeted at students are springing up around the country.
How about a dorm room with walk-in closets, private baths and a 25th-floor view of downtown Boston? Put your name in the lottery for a spot in Boston University's new Student Village II.
Looking for on-campus digs with amenities including a wood-fire pizza oven, flatscreen TV and a courtyard with a gas fireplace? Try getting into the new Barrett Honors dorm at Arizona State.
What about an architectural masterpiece with a lake view, designed to mirror the work of Frank Lloyd Wright? Head to Florida Southern College's new Nicholas Hall.
A Boston University spokesman said surveys found students wanted the types of amenities Student Village II offers (soundproof music rooms and plasma TVs among them), so the University invested in the project.
"There was a need for more suite-style and apartment-style housing units for upperclassmen," spokesman Colin Riley said. Riley noted that "luxury" was The Boston Globe's term for the steel-and-glass high rise, but admitted that "it's absolutely a beautiful building."
But "absolutely beautiful" comes with a price tag that's a far cry from the cement boxes that most dorms resemble.
At Boston University, students pay around $13,000 annually for the luxury accommodations at Student Village II, compared to $8,000 for the simplest options.
At Purdue University, the student newspaper reported that living in the new First Street Towers will get you access to private baths, kitchenettes and free laundry -- but at a price of nearly $14,000 a year. That's leaps and bounds ahead of the cheapest options, which are about $6,500 to live in Cary or Windsor Halls.
Here at Notre Dame, if you're looking to escape the "Cinderblock Palace" or any of the other on-campus dorms for something of a higher quality, look no further than the new Irish Row apartments right off of Notre Dame's campus. The 185-bed complex opened in June, and leasing manager Karie Miller said their ads specifically call the accommodations "luxury apartments."
"All of our units our fully furnished, all of their appliances are provided . . . they all have plasma TVs," Miller said. They also feature one bathroom per bedroom and free tanning.
"Students are always looking for something nicer than their dorms, and nicer than some of the other apartments in the area," she said. "We all expect a little more these days."
Miller said the down economy hasn't affected her business. She said there has been a consistent demand and expects that to continue -- despite economic concerns.
"Students always need a place to live," she said.
Irish Row was fully leased in March for the current schoolyear, and "it's proving to be even faster this year."
"We're probably already at least 50 percent there," Miller said, "and we just started leasing last week."
With that kind of success, Miller said price is not the first concern of the students who live in Irish Row.
"It's mainly the amenities and the security," Miller said. "That's more of a concern than the price."
It's not hard to find Notre Dame students who feel differently. Clover Ridge, an apartment complex near Irish Row, leases apartments at a rate quite below the luxury units down the block. Monika Grzesiak, a Notre Dame senior who lives at Clover Ridge, said cost was a "determining factor" in choosing where to live -- meaning she sacrified the plasma TVs of Irish Row for a lower bill at the end of the month.
She said it doesn't matter that she doesn't have the "luxuries" that other apartment complexes have to offer.
"I have my own room, a kitchen, and a living room. Going from a teeny two-room quad in my dorm to this, I pretty much live in a palace," she said.
Her classmates in Irish Row might dispute her definition of a "palace," though, as would American Campus Communities, a Texas-based firm that builds and manages luxury dorms on campuses nationwide -- including the honors dorms like Barrett at Arizona State.
The company claims that for today's students, "private bedrooms, private baths, Internet connectivity, fully equipped kitchens, spacious living areas and resort-style amenities are seen as necessities."
American Campus Communities says it's important for universities to "meet this rising demand for amenity-rich student housing."
Boston University spokesman Riley confirmed this; he said more students than ever are requesting to live on campus, and providing the highest quality accommodations -- luxuries by most comparisons -- will continue to be a priority.
So much for the old "Cinderblock Palace."
Dating to 1957, this building is a far cry from some of the more realistic palaces going up near college campuses these days. High quality university-owned dormitories as well as independent developments targeted at students are springing up around the country.
How about a dorm room with walk-in closets, private baths and a 25th-floor view of downtown Boston? Put your name in the lottery for a spot in Boston University's new Student Village II.
Looking for on-campus digs with amenities including a wood-fire pizza oven, flatscreen TV and a courtyard with a gas fireplace? Try getting into the new Barrett Honors dorm at Arizona State.
What about an architectural masterpiece with a lake view, designed to mirror the work of Frank Lloyd Wright? Head to Florida Southern College's new Nicholas Hall.
A Boston University spokesman said surveys found students wanted the types of amenities Student Village II offers (soundproof music rooms and plasma TVs among them), so the University invested in the project.
"There was a need for more suite-style and apartment-style housing units for upperclassmen," spokesman Colin Riley said. Riley noted that "luxury" was The Boston Globe's term for the steel-and-glass high rise, but admitted that "it's absolutely a beautiful building."
But "absolutely beautiful" comes with a price tag that's a far cry from the cement boxes that most dorms resemble.
At Boston University, students pay around $13,000 annually for the luxury accommodations at Student Village II, compared to $8,000 for the simplest options.
At Purdue University, the student newspaper reported that living in the new First Street Towers will get you access to private baths, kitchenettes and free laundry -- but at a price of nearly $14,000 a year. That's leaps and bounds ahead of the cheapest options, which are about $6,500 to live in Cary or Windsor Halls.
Here at Notre Dame, if you're looking to escape the "Cinderblock Palace" or any of the other on-campus dorms for something of a higher quality, look no further than the new Irish Row apartments right off of Notre Dame's campus. The 185-bed complex opened in June, and leasing manager Karie Miller said their ads specifically call the accommodations "luxury apartments."
"All of our units our fully furnished, all of their appliances are provided . . . they all have plasma TVs," Miller said. They also feature one bathroom per bedroom and free tanning.
"Students are always looking for something nicer than their dorms, and nicer than some of the other apartments in the area," she said. "We all expect a little more these days."
Miller said the down economy hasn't affected her business. She said there has been a consistent demand and expects that to continue -- despite economic concerns.
"Students always need a place to live," she said.
Irish Row was fully leased in March for the current schoolyear, and "it's proving to be even faster this year."
"We're probably already at least 50 percent there," Miller said, "and we just started leasing last week."
With that kind of success, Miller said price is not the first concern of the students who live in Irish Row.
"It's mainly the amenities and the security," Miller said. "That's more of a concern than the price."
It's not hard to find Notre Dame students who feel differently. Clover Ridge, an apartment complex near Irish Row, leases apartments at a rate quite below the luxury units down the block. Monika Grzesiak, a Notre Dame senior who lives at Clover Ridge, said cost was a "determining factor" in choosing where to live -- meaning she sacrified the plasma TVs of Irish Row for a lower bill at the end of the month.
She said it doesn't matter that she doesn't have the "luxuries" that other apartment complexes have to offer.
"I have my own room, a kitchen, and a living room. Going from a teeny two-room quad in my dorm to this, I pretty much live in a palace," she said.
Her classmates in Irish Row might dispute her definition of a "palace," though, as would American Campus Communities, a Texas-based firm that builds and manages luxury dorms on campuses nationwide -- including the honors dorms like Barrett at Arizona State.
The company claims that for today's students, "private bedrooms, private baths, Internet connectivity, fully equipped kitchens, spacious living areas and resort-style amenities are seen as necessities."
American Campus Communities says it's important for universities to "meet this rising demand for amenity-rich student housing."
Boston University spokesman Riley confirmed this; he said more students than ever are requesting to live on campus, and providing the highest quality accommodations -- luxuries by most comparisons -- will continue to be a priority.
So much for the old "Cinderblock Palace."