House names are a social construct, okay?
At least, that’s what Lara Meyer ’11, Martha Reilly ’12, Ellen Saliares ’11 and Emma Willenborg ’11 say.
“If we say we live at 1208 Main, people know exactly where to find us,” Willenborg said.
The residents of the house are all members of the swim team and describe their house as the House of Swimmers—or “that female version of the Swimmer House.” Or “that house a few houses down from Swimmer House.” Or “that house where you can get away from all the parties at Swimmer House.”
“We don’t really have to have parties because we can just go to Swimmer House,” Reilly said.
The girls don’t get to get together as a house all that often due to their hectic schedules, but they do enjoy a few house bonding activities.
“We have a house TV show,” Saliares said. “We all watch ‘Breaking Bad.’”
The residents of 1208 Main like to paint their nails together when they have girls’ nights in and get ready for the parties on campus together and then go out together. Family dinners are a rare occurrence in the house, although they do snack together often.
“And we definitely dessert together,” Reilly said.
The girls frequently participate in Pub Quiz together and are very proud of their win two weeks ago. The house entered under the team name of the Mountain Climbers.
“It was a very surprising win,” Saliares said.
The house itself has multiple great features that the residents are proud to show off, such as a porch that serves as a makeshift loggia that they like to sit on from time to time.
“We have a really great porch,” Willenborg said. “And the roof is really fun, too.”
The coach of the football team at Grinnell lived at 1208 Main last year. He left his boat in the basement.
Though they don’t have any plans to take it out, “He offered to let us keep it,” Reilly said.
The boat is not the only inhabitant of the basement. A ghost named Peeves—inspired by the poltergeist in the Harry Potter series—likes to cause ruckus by making the lights flicker, blowing candles out and producing creepy noises.
“He’s absolutely a friendly ghost,” Meyer said.
Other great features of the house include a paper projector screen that has been turned into a community art wall, a couch in the bathroom, a kitchen sink in Saliares’ room, unique wood paneling on the walls and glitter covered wallpaper.
There’s a lot to love about the house, but some features of the house speak to its age.
“We have some very crumbly stairs,” Saliares said.
“And there are a bunch of trap doors in the floor,” Meyer added.
Still, despite the creepy aspects of the house, the residents still love calling this dwelling their home and encourage others to come visit. Just remember to always say “Hi” to Peeves.
“It is polite, after all,” Meyer said.
