Mather House

Mather House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University. It was named after Increase Mather, a Puritan in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who served as the acting president of Harvard University from 1685 to 1692.Opened in 1970, its house Co-Masters are Christie McDonald, former chair of Harvard's Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, and Michael Rosengarten, an adjunct professor of medicine at McGill University.Mather is known for its large suites composed of single rooms and common rooms, as well as its nineteen-story concrete tower built in a Brutalist style. Its blocky concrete architecture reflects the anti-uprising style of the day of its construction and makes it the butt of jokes, such as being known as "the box that Dunster came in." However, Mather residents are guaranteed single bedrooms for all three years of their residency there, whereas it is not uncommon to find upperclassmen sharing rooms in many of Harvard's other Houses. The low-rise which surrounds the courtyard has large suites with common rooms, while the nineteen-story high-rise does not. However, the high-rise has larger bedrooms and views of Boston and Cambridge. Mather is the river house farthest from Harvard Yard, though the school provides shuttle service from its courtyard every ten minutes during weekdays. Mather House was a favorite choice for hard-partying varsity athletes before housing assignments were randomized by the school.