There's a lot to love about Salve Regina. The small class sizes, friendly people, beautiful ocean views, the list goes on and on. One part of what makes Salve so unique is the dorms we live in during our sophomore year.With room selection fast approaching, I thought it might be helpful to do a brief, unofficial guide to sophomore living at Salve. There are eight residence halls to choose from, each with their own unique charm, perks and downsides.
1. Conley Hall
Famous American architect, Ogden Codman Jr. designed Faxon Lodge for stockbroker Frank Sturgis in 1903. Faxon Lodge became known as Conley Hall when Salve Regina acquired it in the late '60s.
Conley is a girls-only dorm that houses 45 residents. There are five quads, one triple, nine doubles, and four singles.
There's a lot to love about Conley. Superficially, it's one of the prettiest buildings on campus, with crown molding, hardwood floors, and a storybook-esque exterior. There are two kitchens, which is nice for when more than one group of friends wants to avoid Miley on the same night. There's also a really nice and spacious common room, with arguably the comfiest couches on campus.
On the other hand Conley is the farthest dorm from campus, isolated from the other sophomore dorms, and the trolley doesn't run past it. So if you're planning on living there and you don't have a car, make sure one of your roommates does. The long walks aren't bad in September, but you'll be wishing you lived closer when there's two feet of snow outside during second semester. Also, not every room has its own bathroom, so if you weren't too keen on the common bathroom lifestyle Freshman year you might want to consider a different dorm.
2. Founders Hall
In 1890 Founders Hall was completed for Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas Spencer. Spencer was a prominent lawyer in Philadelphia, who played an active role in improving Newport's public spaces. Founders was designed by the architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns, and was acquired by Salve in 1964.
Founders is a girls-only dorm as well, and houses 35 residents. There are three quads, four triples, four doubles, and three singles.
Founders is basically my dream home. A beautiful colonial revival with a wrap-around porch and big front-yard. There's a really cute kitchen on the first floor, along with a pretty big common room. Founders has some really nice rooms too, with decorative fireplaces in some of the spaces, and one of the biggest quads on campus.
When it comes to the downsides of living in Founders there isn't a lot to complain about. Not every room has it's own bathroom and some of the rooms are really small. Founders is one of the first dorms to fill up during room selection, so if you want to live there cross your fingers for an early selection time.
3.Hunt Hall
Hunt was designed by the architectural firm Robinson Green Beretta and built by Salve in 1987.
Hunt is co-ed and houses a different number of people depending on the need per year. There are varying numbers of triples, quads, and quints. Most of the rooms this year were forced quads.
The best thing about living in Hunt is how close it is to classes. You could wake up five minutes before your 8 a.m. and still make it on time. Each room has its own private bathroom as well.
Hunt is usually not a first-choice when it comes to housing selection. The rooms can be pretty small, and the building is pretty much identical to Reefe from Freshman year. Hunt also has a reputation for being kind of an obnoxious dorm. I've heard horror stories of residents who bump music at all hours of the day and start celebrating Thirsty Thursday a day early and continue their festivities right through the weekend.
4. Moore Hall
Moore Hall was built in the 1890s and was the former home of former Newport Mayor and original Chair of Salve's Board of Trustees, Cornelius Moore. Moore Hall was acquired by Salve in 1950.
Moore houses 35 residents in two singles, two doubles, seven triples and one eight-person room.
Moore combines the charm of living in a historic home with the convenience of living close to classes. There's a kitchen which is an added bonus and the rooms aren't too small.
The downside of Moore is that it is so close to Hunt and Reefe and there are a lot of triples. Other than that it's not a bad place to live.
5. Narragansett Hall
Narragansett Hall was built around 1860 and was designed by a local architect, George Champlin Mason.
Narragansett houses 45 residents in five quads, two triples, five doubles, and eight singles.
There's a lounge and kitchen on the first floor which can come in handy, but Narry is right across from Walgreen so it's never a long walk to dinner at Miley. It's also the closest dorm to 40 Steps and First Beach. Narragansett has a nice side yard next to the dorm where you can set up a volley ball net when it's warm out too.
One downside the Narragansett Hall is that it's kind of far from the rest of the sophomore residence halls.
6. Wallace Hall
Wallace was built in 1875 and served as a carriage house, stables, and a gardener's cottage before being purchased by Salve in 1991.
Wallace is home to 52 residents and has one quad, eight triples, eleven doubles and two singles.
Wallace has some really cool rooms. Most of the triples on the first floor have spiral staircases leading up to a lofted portion. Most of the rooms are a pretty decent size. There's a common room on the first floor and just this past summer a small kitchen was added too. Another upside of Wallace is that it's air-conditioned, which is nice for the first few months of school.
Some downsides to Wallace are that, by Salve's standards, it's kind of far from Miley and classes. In actuality it's really only a 15 minute walk to Miley, but when it's snowy and windy you'd rather stay in the dorms. Another downside is that if you live on the first floor you can hear footsteps of the people above you. Also the walls are super thin. We can hear every word of every conversation of the room next to us from our bathroom, so if you end up living here make sure if you live here you're not talking trash about your neighbors.
7. William Watts Sherman House
Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, the Watts Sherman House was built in 1875 for New York financier William Watts Sherman. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970, and acquired by Salve Regina in 1982.
Watts houses 81 students in four quads, seven triples, fourteen doubles, and sixteen singles.
Watts is a really interesting place to live. There's a nice common room and study on the first floor, and a big kitchen. No two rooms are the same and most of them are pretty spacious. Watts is a little closer to classes than Wallace and Young, but not by much.
One downside to Watts is that while some of the rooms are spacious, there are a few that are cramped and not very well lit. People also swear that Watts is haunted. There are stories of hand-prints showing up on second-floor windows, showers turning on by themselves, and closet doors opening by themselves.
8. Young Building
The Young Building was built during the 1850s, designed by Sam Bradford and commissioned by a Boston lawyer. In addition to being a residence hall, the Young Building is also home to the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy.
Young holds 50 residents in two singles, twelve doubles, four triples, and three quads.
Young has a couple of nice kitchens and common rooms. Most of the rooms are pleasant and not too cramped. You can see the ocean from parts of Young, and you're not too far from an entrance to the Cliff Walk. 
Young is on the very outer edge of campus, which can be kind of inconvenient, but there is a trolley stop right outside of the building. Also, because the Pell Center is attached to the residence hall, so it can be noisy in some of the rooms when they're setting up for events.
I hope this helped you learn a little bit more about the sophomore residence halls. Make sure to print out the blueprints of each building you tour and to have a few different options of which room you want to live in. Each of these halls has something that makes them a unique and interesting place to live and you really can't go wrong with any of them.
