Over the summer, Choate Facilities renovated the Homestead bathroom (left) and the kitchenette in Bungalow (right).
By Ellie Porter ’25
While major renovations occur only every few years, improvements take place in dorms every summer. This year, senior girls’ dorms Bungalow and Homestead won the jackpot. While they might not be the most contemporary dorms on campus, both underwent significant renovations in the summer.
Homestead’s interior was fully redone by an external contractor to include a kitchenette and water fountain. The renovation team also expanded and updated the bathrooms and repainted parts of the dorm. Additional structural changes included reconfigured pipelines for the new facilities, an expanded common room, and a newly-installed washer and dryer.
Ava Sklar ’24, a resident of Homestead, said, “The updates are amazing. The renovations didn’t strip the hominess of Homestead, which is everyone’s reason for choosing it.”
On the other side of campus, Bungalow also experienced updates. Having been a House Mentor in Bungalow for three years, Ms. Melissa Koomson was inspired to design and submit a proposal for a new kitchenette.
“[The dorm] is your home while you’re a student here, and I think it brings an element of community in a centralized location for the dorm,” she said.
The strategically placed kitchenette includes a refrigerator that was originally placed on the second floor, an up-to-date microwave, more storage and counter space, and most importantly, a sink. Previously, their common room had contained only a desk with an electric kettle and some board games in it.
In addition to the kitchenette, the Bungalow common room walls were also given a makeover from a dull gray to a bright beige color.
Ms. Koomson said, “I love it. The residents love it. The space just feels much more homey.”
Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life Mr. Pat Dennehy holds the yearly responsibility of determining budget allocations for renovations to dorms and buildings on campus. He added, “In terms of promoting more communal gatherings, we hope these spaces have helped.”
Ella Shafman ’24, a resident of Bungalow, said, “I think the updates to the dorm really help not just with storing food and washing dishes, but also with the connection between everyone that lives here. We get to have great mug nights and have a nice place to hang out in the dorm now, so it’s really good for dorm bonding.”
As renovations are rotated between the 31 dorms on campus and all the buildings, changes will take time.
Over the past few years, the School has installed filtered water stations in dorms following requests from students. Though major changes span a couple years, these smaller changes to the dorms are quicker, equally beneficial solutions for residents.
