<p>Does anyone know if any renovations or improvements have been made to Hill College House over the past year or so?
When D lived there a couple of years ago it was a dreary place with mice infestation.
Does the construction of the new college house which is underway become an ear and eye sore for Hill residents or is it far enough away? Appreciate any feedback...</p>
<p>Hill College House is supposed to be completely renovated–including the installation of central air conditioning–after the new college house is completed in 2016. Don’t know how much of a distraction–visually or sonically–construction will be for Hill residents. It is concentrated on the opposite side and corner of Hill Field, so not directly next to Hill College House, but Hill residents will certainly be aware of it when walking to and from Hill.</p>
<p>To get an idea of the scope and proximity of the construction, take a look at the first image on this page (Hill College House is in the near corner of the field, and the new college house is the J-shape formation in the opposite corner of the field):</p>
<p><a href=“Penn Connects : A Vision for the Future.”>Penn Connects : A Vision for the Future.;
<p>They look very beautiful!
Who will be the lucky ones to live there?</p>
<p>S lives in Hill this year. It has not been renovated. S is finding the construction noisy, he says it wakes him. Now of course what time of day it wakes him and whether it is reasonable is up for debate. :)</p>
<p>^ Maybe they should pipe the construction noise into other Penn dorms. ;)</p>
<p>Good point on the noise alarm, might in fact come in handy 
@Mamalumper what about the rest of his experience living in Hill ? Positive? My two kids have very different personalities so I’m not sure if the same choice works for both. Although proximity to classes and dining hall are big pluses in my book. Thanks guys</p>
<p>^ For what it’s worth, I’m a long-time fan of the Quad–based both on decades-old personal experience and on more recent vicarious experience in the last couple of years.</p>
<p>My S really wanted to live in the Quad, but Hill was his second choice. He loves the social aspect of the dorm (If I said he loved Hill itself I would be lying). He actually had the choice to move to the quad just after the first semester but turned it down because of how close he had become to the people in his hall. For whatever reason Hill seems to really foster friendships. The real positives for him is the dining hall downstairs and the close proximity to his classes. He says that if he has an hour between classes he can return to his dorm and nap. Does anyone else see the sleeping theme he has going on?? Hill just seems to be a very social place. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for your thoughts, that does help solidify what I was already thinking about Hill. I wonder how much the roommate matching questionnaire actually helps, since room assignments are done by computer lottery system?</p>
<p>Incidentally, here’s a photo taken in the last day or so of the new college house construction–Hill College House is the large structure at the far right:</p>
<p><a href=“https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/v/t1.0-9/10175048_812976885396464_3658786533217437548_n.jpg?oh=e32c7d82bd0d71bf6d91b92536d0cdd0&oe=53D1D6DE”>https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/v/t1.0-9/10175048_812976885396464_3658786533217437548_n.jpg?oh=e32c7d82bd0d71bf6d91b92536d0cdd0&oe=53D1D6DE</a></p>
<p>Oh Gosh that looks ugly 
Yikes!
You mean the darkish building on the far right? </p>
<p>^ Yes, but here’s a better photo (taken of the front facade that faces Walnut Street, I believe):</p>
<p><a href=“http://hill.house.upenn.edu/sites/hill.house.upenn.edu/files/banners/hill3.jpg?1326909634”>http://hill.house.upenn.edu/sites/hill.house.upenn.edu/files/banners/hill3.jpg?1326909634</a></p>
<p>Believe it or not, this was designed in the late 1950s by one of the most world-renowned architects of the time, Eero Saarinen (he also designed the St. Louis Gateway Arch and Washington, DC’s Dulles Airport):</p>
<p><a href=“Eero Saarinen - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eero_Saarinen</a></p>
<p>And here are more photos of Hill College House, including its large and dramatic interior atrium:</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.google.com/search?q=hill+college+house&es_sm=119&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5RpQU7rfIsaOyAT5zICgDA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=721”>https://www.google.com/search?q=hill+college+house&es_sm=119&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5RpQU7rfIsaOyAT5zICgDA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=721</a></p>
<p>My daughter lived in Hill freshman year and she loved it. She is still very close to almost all of the 25 students who were in her suite</p>