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21 2013
In the
HOUSE The allure of off-campus housing goes beyond the chance to get away from campus and to leave behind the meal plan. There is also the appeal of the upperclassman culture: living in a house with a name, a reputation and, most importantly, character.
Off-campus houses given names for obvious characteristics, inside humor by Emily Williams Staff Reporter
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hitman is a college with colorfully named houses. Sometimes those house names are based on inside jokes, puns and strange intricacies about the house. Other times, the reason for the name is staring the viewer right in the face. Many house names change with the residents, but other names are founded upon years of tradition which go beyond a mere four-year education at Whitman. The Watershed and the Barn are both prime examples of houses steeped in tradition. The Watershed
The Watershed is a very well recognized off-campus house, distinguished by its kayak paddle address marker and sign above the porch. Many people assume that the Watershed was named by a group of kayakers that lived in the house nine years ago. But according to juniors Claire Martini and Nathan Liechty, who are current residents of the Watershed, the house actually got its name much earlier when a group of geology majors lived there. The “Watershed” name actually refers to the geological form of a watershed. “In geology, all of the watersheds in the U.S. are divided up by Hydraulic Unit Codes. 705, the address of the house, refers to the Powell’s Creek Watershed, a particularly exciting watershed,” said Martini. “When the first geology majors took hydrology, they decided to name the house the Watershed as a sort of pun.” Later a group of whitewater kayakers moved in. One of their parents now owns the house and rents it out to Whitman students. “The owner of the house bought it while her son was at
Whitman, but since she lives in California she depends on the residents to find someone new to take over the lease when they leave. As a result there’s been a pretty rich tradition of passing it down amongst siblings and people with shared interests in the outdoors,” said Martini. The legacy of the house, Liechty said, is “people who like doing things outside, like hanging out with friends and like having a good time on Friday nights.” The last couple of years there were weekly or semi-weekly potlucks at the Watershed that added to its distinct vibe. This semester there is a new set of people in the house and the potluck tradition is picking back up again. For Liechty and Martini, the history behind the name and the tradition of the Watershed are cool parts of living in the house. “I like that there’s some history to the house and I think that inspires the people who live there to build into that history and leave their mark,” said Liechty. “We have lots of discussions about what we’re going to do to improve the house and leave our mark on it.” The Barn The Barn got its name in a much more straightforward way: It looks like a barn. Although the name is simple, the barn is steeped in tradition and history. Delta Gammas have lived in the house for 30 years. The story goes that the house was originally a professor’s house, and when the professor retired a group of DGs asked for the property to be donated to the school. “These DGs came in blouses that were buttoned all the way to the top and full-length skirts and knocked on the door and said that they were going to use the house for Bible study,” said sen-
ior Anna Conrad. “It ended up not being a Bible study house.” “The whole house is like a DG museum. There’s just so much stuff that’s old, so much history. It’s really cool being a part of that,” said senior Rachel Shober. A huge part of the Barn tradition is the neighbors. Neighbor Noah, as the Barn girls call him, has been a friend of the Delta Gammas who have lived in the Barn for years. “If you live in the Barn, you need to be friends with Neighbor Noah,” said Shober. Neighbor Noah, who often brings the girls wine or hard cider from the company he works for, has a Delta Gamma ping pong paddle in his kitchen window that faces the Barn. When Conrad came back to the house early over winter break to take her written exams, Neighbor Noah concernedly called the police because he thought there was an intruder. “Somebody started knocking on the door at 11:30 p.m. I walked downstairs in my pajamas and it was Neighbor Noah and the police, [who] thought that someone was breaking into our house,” she said. “It was so sweet of him to be that concerned. It just made me feel so much better knowing I wasn’t all by myself, that there was some support system in the neighborhood.” The legacy of the Barn lives on when DG alumnae who used to live there come back to visit. The Barn’s rich 30-year history lives on in the character of the house. “One of the coolest parts is that we get visitors all the time that used to live there that are off in the world now,” said Shober. Every group that lives in the Barn adds their own flair to its tradition. This year the group of senior girls take things to a silly level. “We like to refer to ourselves as ‘barnimals,’” said Conrad.
The Ocho, The Watershed and The Barn (from top to bottom, above) are all offcampus houses located on or near Isaacs Street. While The Barn is a Delta Gamma house through and through on the inside (below), the name comes from its barnlike exterior. The Watershed (bottom) displays its heritage as a geology and outdoor enthusiast house above its porch with its sign and address. Photos by Doowa
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Ever wondered where to find those obscurely named off-campus houses?
Check out the off-campus house map at whitmanpioneer. com/category/guide-2. If you would like your house included on the list, contact us at editors@whitmanpioneer.com
Centennial houses accommodate students by Hannah Bartman Staff Reporter
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oving into a house, both on campus and off campus, is the most common decision for each student at some point in their four-year Whitman career. However, there are certain unique traits and histories that go along with each home. A select few student residences have histories that extend back farther than 100 years, sharing with them histories and secrets unbeknownst to the current owners. One of these on-campus houses is La Maison Française (the French House), which was built in 1905. According to the historical plaque mounted on the front porch, the house was originally owned by two generations of the Fred and Clara Wilson family from 1910-1963. Sons Fritz and Norton as well as Fritz’s two sons all attended Whitman. Additionally, Fritz became the treasurer of Whitman, and also housed visiting professors of the college. The house was obtained by Whitman in 1963 and officially became the French House in 1968. “It’s a nice house,” said sophomore Resident Advisor Miriam Moran. “The windows are a little hard to open, but it
doesn’t have any major problems that I’ve encountered.” Despite the 108 years of residence, the house seems to have sustained its practical use. The only evidence of its history lies in the additional staircase in the back of the house that apparently functioned as the stairs for the servants. “[My favorite part of the house is] in my room [where] there’s glass on the window, which has an interesting design. The way the glass is cut makes it so when the light comes in, rainbows reflect all over the wall, which is really pretty,” said Moran. A student house that shares the same antiquity as the French House is The Ocho, an offcampus house located on East Isaacs. Previously named Motel 7, the house, built in 1912, is now recognized as The Ocho because it contains eight residents. “You can definitely feel its old, creepy force, but it’s pretty beautiful for the fact that it’s been worn down as a college house,” said current resident and senior Hannah Siano. The odd stylistic choices, such as the “funky fun wallpaper in the bathrooms” and the “strange green carpet mixed with pink pinstriped walls” imply the
age of the house, but its history is not obvious through its living conditions. The only complaint that resident Siano has, somewhat similar to the French House, is the thin windows which do not protect against the cold in the winter. However, other features of the house make up for this pitfall. “The front room has really beautiful old, dark [ceiling beams] that [are], I’m sure, original, and I think that’s the coolest feature of the house,” said Siano. Other than these unique features that suggest a style of an earlier time, the house does not show the wear of 100 years. “It’s pretty old, and I’m sure they’ve remodeled because most of it feels pretty modern,” said Siano. “It really hasn’t been neglected or anything, so I don’t think it’s like living in a 100-year-old house.” Other than the features of the house, there is little information regarding the original floor plan of the house. City Planner Imelda Osorio spoke of the house. “There were no pictures or floor plans or any information indicating the building’s historic value,” she said. Similar to the French House, living off campus provides that privacy and close community not
found in crowded dorms. However, Siano argues that houses not involved with the campus community offer even more freedom. “Living in a house is wonderful in that you don’t have an RA, you can burn candles and other basic freedoms like that,” she said. Dissimilar to living off campus, living in a residential house means that the French House still has responsibilities of on-campus life. The houses have the aspect of unfamiliarity of residents like the dorms, but also have the
close-knit community of living in an off-campus residence. “It’s different living with fewer people who all have a shared interest, even though they’re all really different. It tends to be a little quieter, but you really get to know people,” said Moran. Regardless of involvement in campus, these houses hold a historic significance to Walla Walla. Although their exact details are unknown, they share small architectural reminders, individual to their style and history.
Though the house is now over one hundred years old, The Ocho remains a popular off-campus student house near the corner of Clinton and Isaacs. Photo by Doowa