Lewis Hall (Somerville, Massachusetts)

 dormitory  Add category

Lewis Hall is a dorm at Tufts University. It is co-ed by wing and houses primarily freshmen and sophomores. At maximum capacity, Lewis can house 197 students, making it one of the largest dorms on campus. It is located downhill, across from Hodgdon good-to-go. It is also close to Dewick and Davis Square. It is a staffed residence Hall, with 6 RA's and 1 RD. Each floor has four large bathrooms, two for guys and two for girls. Each one has toilettes, sinks, and showers. There are also fourteen small lounges located throughout the building and a study room located on each floor.
Lewis offers singles, doubles, and triples. Singles, of which there are 74, are approximately 9.5'X11'. There are 57 doubles is Lewis. Doubles are 11'X18' on average. Finally there are just three triples in Lewis, all located on the first floor. Each of the triples is 14'X20'. All of the rooms have linoleum floors with cinderblock walls painted white. Most rooms have built in dressers and closets with movable desks and beds. The first floor of Lewis is unique in that it is much smaller than the other floors, but there is no RA living on the hall. On the first floor of Lewis there is a large lounge with a TV, couches, and tables, a kitchen, a laundry room, and a bike storage room. Also, in the basement is the Crafts Center, where one can paint, sculpt, draw, or indulge in other artistic endeavors.
Lewis is primarily freshmen and sophomores, though it is open to anyone. It is not regarded as the most favorable dorm, and as such is pretty easy to get a room in. The doubles are easier to get than the singles though. Also, many kids off of the waitlist end up being placed into Lewis. A double should necessitate an average between roommates around 2100 and a single should require a number that is a bit higher, maybe in the range of 2,600. These numbers change year to year depending on demand and size of classes.
In sum, Lewis is considered a pretty average place to live as a freshmen, but a pretty undesirable place for any upperclassmen. It has a good location, but the rooms are fairly small. People also don't really like the large, communal bathrooms versus the smaller, more private bathroom that other dorms offer. Additionally, due to the long, winding halls and the overall size of the building, there is not a very strong Lewis community. Also, because there are RA's and the rooms are fairly small, Lewis is considered to be one of the less social dorms. Its close location to campus eating places and Davis is definitely a plus.