Vivian Hir, Class of 2025
presented a history of New House
A few months ago we attended an interesting reunion at MIT. It wasn't a class reunion, or a family reunion, but it was a 50th anniversary of my husband's dorm (known at MIT as a living group). I thought about how little genealogists use college, school, or university records, and this reunion created a lot of epherma, presentations, and photographs that will end up at the MIT archives. Someday someone will want to see those records. They list names, occupations, degrees, hometowns, and other pertinent information, and all of it is of interest to family historians.
I have done research at the archives at Simmonds University, Acadia University, Boston University, University of New Hampshire and other schools. I've found not just academic records and yearbooks, but also journals, sermons, news clippings, photographs, books and other interesting items. All of it was useful and helped to flesh out the bones on some ancestors for whom I only had vital records.
The New House 50th reunion featured some great presentations which were shared electronically with partipants at this reunion, and some artifacts that were on display. Of special interest was a large format book with the signatures of all the residents of New House. We had fun searching for Vincent's name, and the names of his classmates in the book. There were also construction plans, renovation charts, newsclippings, and photos on display.
This register had the date, name, class year, major,
dorm room, home address, etc. of every resident of New House
At the reunion Vivian Hir, class of 2025, a resident of New House, gave a great presentation on the history of New House, which was built in the 1970s to stem an overcrowding issue on the MIT campus. Construction began on a site next to MacGregor House, at 500 Memorial Drive, the site of Joyce Chen's restaurant from 1969 - 1974. The new dorm was designed by Spanish architect Josep Lluis Sert. It was six units connected by a street level corridor, creating many independent living communities. Three units faced the Charles River, and 3 faced the athletic field.
New House opened in September 1975 and House 1 was Chocolate City (African American) and Russian House, House 6 was French House and German House. Later Spanish House and other living groups were added. Vincent lived in House 3 (known as New Three Stooges). In 2007 iHouse opened to promote international development, social justice and activism. In 2022 New House 2 became Juniper, an all female Black community. There are nine different living groups at New House currently.
In July 2015 there was a flood due to a burst pipe which damaged Houses 1, 2, and 3. Students were moved to the nearby Hyatt hotel. In 2016 another pipe burst. MIT contemplated demoliton or full repair. It was decided to renovate, which took several years, as each unit was restored . The school decide to fully remove walls and change the separate units into one fully integrated dorm, but keeping the living groups.
The history presentation was followed by a lunch and tours of the renovated New House. We couldn't find Vincent's old rooms, because the renovations had completely removed the rooms, walls, corridors and lounges to create new dorm rooms, living spaces, kitchens, and maker spaces. It was strange to not see the old familiar spaces, but extremely interesting to see the new ideas and new students enjoying the building.
Events like this reunion used the MIT archives, interviews, the libraries and more to create presentations, and then those presentations will be archived in turn. Think of all the events, reunions, and more that are being archived at colleges, and your ancestors (or you!) might be named and described in detail.
New House 3
New House current floor plans
Former New Three Stooges
residents of New House 3
A group shot of all the reunion participants
New Three Stooges (New House 3) residents in 1978
For the truly curious:
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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "MIT New House 50th Reunion", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 22, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/mit-new-house-50th-reunion.html: accessed [access date]).
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