There's something very split about Winthrop House, and it's not just the distance between Gore and Standish Halls. The House community is welcoming, the location is convenient, and students are enthused about the amenities, but housing keeps the Winthrop lion from being the king of the Houses. Winthrop will be renovated in the 2016-17 school year, which means freshmen can expect two years of the current housing, topped off with a year in swing housing at the Inn at Harvard. Freshmen this year will just barely miss living in the renovated House—tough.

Gore and Standish are placed to maximize your chance at having a river view. But don't expect to leave the bunk beds of freshman year behind, especially in sophomore housing, which is cursed with small doubles. DeWolfe is always an option, of course, but with the promise of air conditioning, a kitchen, and cable TV for every suite comes a decrease in the feeling of the House community.

Junior and seniors have a better shot at getting a single, though n+1 housing is not guaranteed for seniors, and walkthroughs abound. However, Winthropians live in anticipation of getting a beautiful senior suite with a sizable common room, singles for all, and perhaps even a balcony overlooking the river. Winthrop is also home to one of the River's best party suites: the Seven-Man spans the entire fifth floor of an entryway, and its 65-foot hall is perfect for imaginative hosting. Also, roof access. Boom.

Having to descend into the dining hall makes Winthrop unique among the River Houses, but residents point out that the dhall's many windows ensure that it gets a surprising amount of natural light. You may have noticed those windows during this year's Housing Day video—or at least, the dancers behind them.

The servery's layout is unintuitive, but the dining hall is a cozy place well-populated with students every Brain Break. There are interhouse restrictions on guests at Sunday brunch and some dinners, which are necessary for when the dhall becomes surprisingly packed.

The Masters, Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. and Stephanie Robinson, can often be found eating in the dining hall. Though they don't have the cult of personality that surrounds the Masters of some other Houses, students say they are approachable and welcoming.

If you've ever seen the photo of JFK eating an ice cream cone on his boat, you can grab some HUDS froyo, head to the patio on a sunny day, and make like Winthrop's most famous alum. Other than a whole host of Kennedys, the House has also been the stomping grounds of other notables, including Ben S. Bernanke ’75, J. Robert Oppenheimer ’26, and Barney Frank ’61-62.

Winthrop's HoCo ranks among the most efficient and organized across campus. They plan fun House-wide events like Thropstock, an outdoor carnival, and the Arbella Ball. Both are in the spring and make ample use of the House's gorgeous courtyards. Winthrop IMs have also recently been a force to be reckoned with, winning the Straus Cup five years in a row from '07-'08 to '11-'12.

Finally, Winthrop may have less random activity space floating around than other Houses, but its common spaces include the stately Junior Common Room and Tonkens Room. Both are so nice that the University often hosts events in them, but plenty of student groups utilize the space for meetings as well. Standish Hall boasts Harvard’s most brilliantly hued library, though access doesn't require a Winthrop swipe.

We’ve already mentioned housing, but beyond that, one frequent complaint is the lack of tunnel access between Gore and Standish Halls, which is most inconvenient for getting to the dhall on blustery winter days. The move to swing housing in around two years may further compromise a House already split between two halls and DeWolfe.

And of course, since Winthrop is on the river, thin walls and occasional vermin are to be expected—not as much as the Houses closer to the restaurants in the Square, of course, but enough so we can't give it the roach-free seal of approval.

But notice how all of these things are architectural? Everything that's improvable by Winthrop residents receives high marks. Now, all Winthrop can do is await the forces of House renewal, and it’s too bad that this year’s freshmen won’t get to enjoy it.