Kirkland House, Harvard University

Kirkland House is one of the 12 undergraduate houses at Harvard University, located near the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was named after John Thornton Kirkland, president of Harvard University from 1810 to 1828. Some of the buildings were built in 1914 but construction was not completed until 1933. Kirkland is one of the smallest Houses at Harvard, but has nevertheless managed to win many intramural and house-spirit contests, most recently the 2012 Straus Cup. Before Harvard opted to use a lottery system to assign housing to upperclassmen, Kirkland was considered the \"jock house\" because its location near Anderson Bridge and the Soldiers Field made it a desirable home and convenient place to dine for Harvard athletes.
The first Master of Kirkland House was Edward A. Whitney. Walter Eugene Clark succeeded Whitney as the second Master on September 1, 1935. The current Masters of Kirkland House are Tom and Verena Conley, and the Resident Dean is Cory Way.
Kirkland House boasts many traditions, such as its opening ceremony, Secret Santa week -- accompanied by bawdy skits in the dining hall, and a winter dance nicknamed \"IncestFest\".