Photo by Zeyu Zhao ‘27.
Sign marking the newest dorm on campus, Creighton Hall, which houses four LLCs.
By Betty Smart ’26
Staff Writer
How well do we all know the residence halls on campus? There are 18 dorms at Mount Holyoke College at the time of this article’s publication, gradually built following the fire that burned down the College’s original Seminary building in 1896. A colorful bunch, each has their own distinct quirks and drawbacks. Your personal taste may affect how you see each one, but they all have something to offer that truly makes their residents’ experience unique. This past week, I visited three dorms that stand out in their modernity.
Creighton Hall
The newest dorm on campus, Creighton Hall, was built in 2008. It resembles a pleasant hotel, with soft lighting, abstract decorations, carpeted hallways, an absolutely adorable Golden Pear kitchen and a rotunda that joins North and South Creighton — which are not so well differentiated. A stone’s throw from Rooke Theatre and Pratt Hall, it boasts a beautiful backyard field that joins the massive dorm to Lower Lake. The four language learning Living-Learning Communities — including German, French, Italian and Chinese — are located in Creighton, each providing its residents with a sense of fun and community through events centered on speaking the language, and shared lounge space with plenty of books, games and a TV.
Charlyn Rachner ’24, an international German student living in the German language LLC, appreciates “[living] in a community that wants to learn about German culture and language. We don’t have the aesthetic of the old buildings, which is a shame, but I love having AC.”
Emma Nguyen ’24 describes the Creighton dorm as “pretty clean and spacious compared to other dorms I’ve been in, and the rooms are very nice. It’s a comfortable dorm, with AC that works in the summer.”
Ham Hall
Built in 1965 on the outskirts of campus, Ham Hall’s plain brick exterior is imposing — a contrast to its bucolic location at the top of a hill next to Upper Lake. Inside is an interesting mix of styles, with two comfortable common rooms on the first floor. One is larger to accommodate the piano and fireplace, while the other is a cozier TV room.
Both common rooms adjoin a large stone patio, overlooking a beautiful view of Upper Lake and the sports fields outside of the nearby Kendall Sports & Dance Complex. Through an adjoining door is the Zowie Banteah Cultural Center. Above this, dorm rooms branch off tight hallways with bright lighting, gray linoleum floors and pale blue walls. Each floor has a sadly inaccessible balcony that overlooks the lake and a single desk made up like a library carrel next to the kitchenette.
Ham’s distance from the main body of campus doesn’t bother resident Kapper Wang ’25, who said, “I like how close Ham is to Kendall. I can go jogging around the lake every morning. It’s nice and quiet here.”
Fellow resident Sofia Rosen ’27 described Ham as “just the dorm, we don’t have any LLCs, not much happens. The walk is pretty annoying, but you get used to it. We’re far away, but not the furthest.”
MacGregor Hall
Built in 1967, two years after Ham Hall, MacGregor Hall is at the far edge of campus. Constructed right next to Ham, MacGregor can be viewed as its fraternal twin. The ground floor resembles a ski lodge, with a massive common space repurposed from the old pre-Blanchard Dining cafeteria, window walls and an unused grid of mail cubbies. The huge common rooms share the same stunning view as Ham, overlooking Upper Lake and the entire athletic complex area. Upstairs, the hallways remain quite similar to Ham. Notably, the kitchenettes are larger, with their own little ironing nooks and a strange closet that looks like a phoneless phone booth.
Anybody’s first year at college is going to be a big change, no matter who they are or where they’re from. Because of this, the First Year Experience LLC, located in MacGregor, appeals to many incoming first-years with its mission to help them adjust to campus life. Resident Paige Jones ’27 appreciates having fellow first-years as neighbors. “The little basement is usually empty, and I can have a place to myself. The location for sure is a bit far.”
Like Ham, the hilly distance definitely counts against it in terms of convenience and easy access. For some residents, though, having a community to come back to makes it worth the walk. The community of first-years makes MacGregor what it is. Residential Advisor Ku Paw ’26 describes MacGregor as being “active; there’s always a group of people talking in the hallways or watching a movie in the common room. It’s like a family at school.”
As someone who favors the older buildings, I was left feeling a bit of a disconnect visiting these three dorms — especially putting them up against the rest of Mount Holyoke’s residence halls. Creighton Hall seems to suit the campus a little more. While it’s definitely much more updated, feeling in some places like a hotel, the general softness feels more in line with founder Mary Lyon’s ideal of helping the students feel at home. Conversely, I wish MacGregor and Ham had taken further advantage of their lakeside location, perhaps running with the ski lodge theme in their very nice common rooms instead of opting for a parking lot exterior and cold, plain hallways.
However, even though much of these dorms’ modernity was not to my liking, I was always heartened to see the charming bulletins from the RAs and the personal touch every resident had left on their door. After all, it’s the people who make a place what it is, and for many, this place is home.