Why is Myles Standish Hall cool?

Samantha asked us, “What is Myles Standish Hall even like?”

That’s a great question.

First off, knowing its history will explain a lot. Built in 1928 as a luxury hotel (with rates starting at $3 a night), it was designed to pay homage to its namesake, Myles Standish, the pilgrims he helped guide, and their journey across the Atlantic. The exterior shape of the building comes to a point, to resemble the bow of the ships the Pilgrims used to travel to what would become the United States. You will find a mural of pilgrims on the first floor, and several older signs with nautical references.

As a hotel, Myles Standish was a place to see and be seen. “Myles has always rubbed elbows with American cool,” says Dean Elmore. It found its way into a reference in Death of a Salesman (the “Standish Arms”) and had celebrities stay in its rooms. Fancy boutiques lined the first floor.

Boston University bought the hotel in 1949, and opened it as a residence hall that fall semester. It has housed several known University alumni throughout the years, including but not limited to America’s Got Talent and Sirius XM’s Howard Stern. It has been so well loved by students over the years that alumni have even named their children after the hall.

Now that you know its history, you might understand why we can’t say that every room is the same. It’s not. Back in the days before cookie-cutter hotels, they were constructed each to have their own charms, and rooms were given more personality than the standard issue design allowed by hotel chains today. Some rooms had kitchenettes, others were designed to give a particular view, and others were just different to be different.

Despite the varied room size and type that the current Myles Standish and Myles Annex has, you will have the same furniture as your classmates at Warren, West, the Towers, and other spots on campus. The bed is a twin extra-long. You will have a desk, a chair, and a dresser.

The layout of the building provides a lot of study space, both in the common rooms of suites and in study lounges in the building. The BU Shuttle stops in front of the building, providing easy access to the further parts of campus. A Dunkin Donuts and two Starbucks are within a two minute walk, and so is the BU Bookstore.

If not being in a predominantly freshman area worries you, don’t fret. There are quite a few new students who live in Myles, and the staff will do new student only events. In addition, the sophomores and juniors who live there are great to get to know as you adapt to living at BU.

Myles Standish, like every other residence hall at BU, has its own personality. It might not be cookie cutter, but we all didn’t come to BU to be cookie cutter.

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