I remember entering Colony Hall lobby for the first time in October of 2019, when I visited Choate for my admissions interview. As I walked into the lobby, listening to my tour guide introduce the building, I stood in awe. I was mesmerized by the sun rays that shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the brown leather couches in a soft glimmer. Admiring the streaks of sunshine and shade drawn by the sun that reflected the building’s angular structure, a sense of calm washed over me, putting my interview anxieties at ease. For the first few minutes of my interview, I could only rave about how much I admired Colony Hall.
A year after I first visited Colony Hall, I eagerly returned to Choate as a freshman. As I stepped inside from the chilly weather before my first Symphony Orchestra rehearsal, I was greeted with an embrace by the warm atmosphere of the lobby. To my left, a drummer was improvising in the Jam Room, and I felt the crash of the cymbal and thud of the tom-tom reverberate through my body. To my right, a pianist was practicing, the melody echoing throughout the building. Somehow, the contrasting music coming from the practice rooms complemented each other, and I was so immersed in the experience that I was almost late to rehearsal.
For many Choate students, the dining hall and the Student Activities Center are the main socialization hubs. For me, it is the Colony Hall lobby. Whenever I feel too lazy to make the trek back to my dorm across campus after my practice sessions, classes, and rehearsals in Colony, I sit in the lobby, intending to “get some work done.” The classical music coming from various practice rooms and the convenient outlets on the wall would make for the ideal place to focus, but students or teachers coming and going always end up sitting on the couches around me. For those of us lingering in the Colony lobby, there is an unspoken bond that we share over our passion for the arts, which makes it easier for me to reach out to those seated around me for a spontaneous conversation.
One sunny day this past fall, three other freshmen and I sat in the lobby, chatting away after our dance rehearsal. The four of us had never talked before, but ever since that day, we have met up in the lobby after rehearsal every week to head to lunch together. Just last week, I exited the Recital Hall to find someone whom I shared a mutual friend with sitting in the lobby. I had never spoken to her before, yet we easily launched into a conversation that lasted an hour. In the background, a pianist continued to practice “Moonlight Sonata,” just as they had been for the past few weeks, and the mysterious blue notebook that had been laying on one of the marble tables remained unclaimed since the beginning of the spring term. As the rain pattered against the windows outside, Colony Hall’s consistency brought me a sense of comfort and security on this gloomy spring day.
Recently, the Class of 2024 attended our first and last in-person form meeting in Colony Hall for the school year. As all of my classmates gathered in the lobby, my selfish instincts took over for a split second. I had heard stories from upperclassmen about the swarms of people in Colony before School Meetings last year, with backpacks and belongings strewn everywhere — what if other people began overcrowding the lobby every day again, leaving no space for me? Yet, a warm glow kindled in my heart. I could finally share my happy place with my classmates. The ambience of the Colony Hall lobby is unmatched by anywhere else on campus. Although next year seems destined to open up opportunities for me to explore the Choate campus and Wallingford, the Colony Hall lobby will remain my sanctuary.
