Quincy House
The House
Quincy House is one of the larger houses, with around 500 residents. You can’t miss Stone Hall (the old-looking part), New Quincy (the concrete part), and the Qube (Quincy’s library, lofted above the central courtyard). Quincy’s buildings have tall ceilings and amenities scattered throughout. Some of the coolest spaces include a pottery studio, a large house gym, and a small theater, as well as independent study spaces, so you’ll never run out of changes of scenery!
Most Quincy residents live in the House’s two main dorms, Stone Hall and New Quincy, with a few residents living across the street in DeWolfe. Quincy features a few different room setups, and, overall, the rooms are fairly spacious. Stone Hall has mainly hallway doubles and suites, and New Quincy has duplex suites of four to five people with a common room on a separate floor from the bedrooms. Some suites include ensuite bathrooms, while others have communal bathrooms. Another perk is that Quincy has elevator access to all floors, so no matter where you end up, you will be spared from the stairs.
One of the coolest rooms in Quincy is the balcony suite, a large common room that has an attached outside space. It is normally claimed by a group of seniors, with the eight suitemates following an unspoken rule to throw a party that all residents of the house are invited to, a must-visit for Quincy residents.
Quincy also has some other notable amenities, such as a House Grille, where students can purchase food like chicken strips and other snacks on Thursday through Sunday nights. The most notable item that only Quincy Grille offers is their Thin Mint Shake; when we asked their HoCo chairs, “If you had to describe your house as a drink, what drink would it be?” Jack Towers ‘25 responded, “I'm tempted to say the milkshake from the grille.”
Fellow HoCo chair Honor C. S. Pimentel ‘25 agreed.
“I like the Thin Mint shakes,” Pimentel said. “It’s paying back our community by investing in the Girl Scouts of Cambridge.”
Perhaps most importantly, Quincy is the only House to offer hot breakfast every morning, making it a hot spot for Quincy residents and the less fortunate to gather. And there are rarely interhouse restrictions in the d-hall, making it welcome to all.
Pimentel said: “I think if you were concerned about not seeing any of your friends because they're in different Houses, that will not be a problem here. You will see everybody come through this House."
Quincy Traditions
Quincy House has some very cool traditions. To start, every event is spelled with a Q for the House name, to add a touch of ~whimsy~. Quincy has a biweekly fiesta, where people enjoy delicious food and gather for a different theme each time. Quincy also has a House-wide game of assassins every year, where they try to eliminate each other by sneakily spraying each other with water guns. Quincy also regularly hosts a “Qarnival,” with cotton candy and other carnival games and food.
To top it all off, Quincy organizes a field day in the fall, where they celebrate their newest House members with a traditional field day with outside games. The faculty deans honor the founder of the house, Josiah Quincy, by carrying his cane, dressing up in robes, and having their son drive out in a go-kart. The ceremony ends in an exorcism, where, as Pimentel described, “all the Quincy house residents are invited to come yell things that they want banished from the House — you know, like people who don’t return their dishes properly, or the sixth floor rats or the second washing machine from the left in the basement that never works.”
Aside from those traditions, the faculty deans also often open their home to students, allowing them to enjoy a nice outside balcony space and indulge in lots of free food. A tradition that the current Quincy Hoco is trying to start is "Quinski," a large ski and snowboarding-themed party in the Quincy d-hall as “ it kind of gives ski lodge, snow globe vibes,” according to Pimentel.
Qulture!
Quincy boasts a rich history and is filled with lots of artwork and memorabilia commemorating that history. The house has Scottish origins reflected in several House events. For instance, bagpipes are played at almost every major House event, and the House flag is an old Scottish family crest. In addition, there are many portraits of Scottish individuals scattered throughout the House.
Overall, Quincy is known as the “People’s House” and incoming residents should look forward to “a big party all day long” that “does not stop 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.” once Quincy knocks on their door this Housing Day.
Reflecting on her Housing Day experience, Pimentel said: “I got to meet a lot of people and come into an environment where everyone’s pumped. It truly did feel like I was being welcomed into a community house. It promotes belonging.”