Last year, the College cut 100 students from living off campus for this 2025–26 academic year, according to Ben Newhouse, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students. This change, Newhouse said, is due to the fact that the College has added more opportunities for on-campus housing with the fully finished Renfrow Hall and the recently renovated Loose Hall.
Yet, the spirit of off-campus living endures. The S&B polled seven student-leased houses in town, taking inspiration from another S&B article published in August 2017. From afterparty hotspots to tiny nation-states, the class of 2026 continues the off-campus rituals by making their houses into homes.
Quouse of Cards
Welcome to the Quouse of Cards: on our side of High St., our sole mission is The Vibe. Otis Redding records, hanging spider plants from Burling Library, and Second Mile paintings and sculptures color our family brunches with upstairs neighbor Grace and part-time residents from Broad St., Gates and Lazier (who haven’t paid their rent yet). Named after the new housemaster of the Speakeasy, you can find these residents there, at Rabbit’s Tavern for pool or at the afterparty!
— Miles, Quinn
Relish House
Our house, located on Park Street, has been historically called “Relish House” because our next-door neighbor is the old restaurant Relish. Our most notable decorations include: a deer head above our TV, a Grinnell t-shirt signed by people who come to our house, a Mentor Advanced Project (MAP) poster cataloging the history of Grinnell Concerts, and a random Sing 2 poster that’s in our laundry room. Common things you may find us doing together as a house: pickling various vegetables, planning a party to host and Relishing good times with our friends.
— Lee, Evan, Liv, Jackie, Conrad
Not Frisbee House
Overheard on Broad: We are not frisbee house. This is not frisbee house!!!! Do not hit the house vape. Put your cleats in the stink closet! Can you bring the speaker to practice? Where did the air fryer go …. Which room is freak room again?
— Kristen, Julia, Sam, Ben, Erin
The Back Porch Republic
Think of us as a tiny nation-state: population of biz (five), governed by the roll of dice, and constituted in party lights. We’re a melting pot of people and stories, a little bit of cozy retreat and a lot of late night chaos. The back porch is our headquarters: open to all who want to drink, dance, play Fifa or just hang out. So stop by, roll the dice, and you’re one of us.
— Jonathan, Becca, Pranav, Shayak, Shibam
Wolf of Broad Street
Our house is the “Wolf of Broad Street” because Estella watches “Wolf of Wall Street” every morning (crypto debt is no joke!). Our house vibe is watching “The Sopranos” on our two couches and the walkway filled with recycling we have yet to take out. It’s worth noting Jonah does consistently take out the trash (he’s done it twice), and Estella and Hope’s “slacking” may have to be an article on its own.
— Hope, Estella, Jonah (self-appointed man of the house)
Fairgrounds
Fairgrounds has moved houses a lot in the past four years, but the name has stayed the same and so have the goals of the house. Fairgrounds, or swim house, is a space for people to gather and spend time together. The picture collages that line the walls are a perfect reminder of what is most important to us Groundskeepers — community and having fun.
Whether you are partying in the basement, chatting on the porch or having a movie night upstairs in the loft, there is a space for everyone. While the physical house of Fairgrounds may move from year to year, the spirit always remains the same.
— The Groundskeepers: Greta, Ciara, Sophie, Rommin, John <3
The Oven
We call our house “the Oven” because it gets so unbearably hot. There are four of us (the Broad broads), though currently we are a house of three because our dear Kieran is in absentia (Spain). Edie lives in a cave and Kieran lives in a closet.
We have spirits that live in the walls and a hornet in our bathroom. We have perfectly vacuumed floors and family dinner on Wednesday nights. And we don’t have mold! (yet). At night we spend our time bonding as a house family, cuddling on our couch and watching classics such as “Eraserhead” and “The Lesbian Homie 2” on Tubi. Come visit!
— Edie, Nell, Honor, Kieran
House that Feels Like Home
We moved in to Summer St. during our second year so we’ve been in our house for longer than (I [Hikaru] think) any fourth year. We’ve turned this place into a home with way too much furniture, memories, and a cursed basement (four people got trapped…). The walls are so thin Faye and I have late night conversations through a wall. It has stairs so steep it will make your plumber plummet.
Many people have said our house feels like a home. So we don’t live in an off campus house we live in an off campus home. So come over if you ever wanna play the most intense game of bananagrams.
—Hikaru, Faye, Kami, Katie
