(newschool.edu)
The New School's first residence, Loeb Hall, was opened in August 1989. Just four years after the opening of Eugene Lang College the New School for Liberal Arts, Loeb hall, the New School's first dormitory, opened and was named for notable New School Trustees, Henry and Louise Loeb. The building is a typical high rise with 15 floors above ground at a height of approximately 164.00 feet. Architecturally, it is constructed mainly in concrete and considered modern architecture. Generally, modern architecture simplifies form and structure of a building.
This simplified architectural structure lends to its use as a residence hall. As the first dormitory owned and operated by the New School, Loeb Hall is co-ed and houses about 272 students within its 15 floors. The dormitory holds five suites per floor, with four persons per suite. While there are few single rooms within these suites, most students live in doubles. Although Loeb is the New School's oldest dormitory, it was only opened 21 years ago and does not have an overly rich history.
Despite this, many students commend Loeb for its more relaxed atmosphere. Junior Resident Advisor Allysha Fabe said that she has enjoyed working at the Loeb residence. “It's very relaxed here, a lot calmer,” Fabe said, mentioning that she had lived in the Stuyvesant Park Residence, but was assigned to work as an RA at Loeb Hall. Sophomore resident Nicole Louie expressed the same sentiments with regard to Loeb's atmosphere, “I like it here a lot, compared to the other residences,” she said.
Aside from these positive accounts, one disturbing piece of history does exist, but is not widely spoken of. According to a current Resident Advisor at Loeb Hall, a female student committed suicide by jumping from the top of the building in 2001. After this incident, she said, Resident Advisors were trained for such situations and the roof is no longer accessible to students. A tree was placed on the moon deck by the student's family as a memorial, but is no longer there.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Loeb is its location. Located on East 12th Street at 3rd Avenue, Loeb is in close proximity to many of the New School buildings. As freshman resident Nicole Abesamis put it, “It's super close!” Abesamis said that Loeb is in a great location in the Village overall. Louie also praised Loeb's prime location, “It's in a great spot, not too far and not too close,” she said. The dormitory is also only a few blocks from the well-known grocery stores Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Food Emporium, providing students with convenience when it comes to shopping. Union Square is close by as well, at East 14th Street and Broadway, as well as one of New York City's most notable bookstores, the Strand on East 12th and Broadway.
While Loeb currently only houses students, it was once the location of Student Health Services and the Counseling Center. These offices were located on the second and third floors of the building, but were moved to 80 Fifth Avenue during the 2010-2011 academic year. Renovations have since taken place in Loeb. The lower floors where these office buildings once were have been reconstructed as dorm rooms, and the lounge in the basement of the dormitory has been renovated to include a quiet reading room, art studio, spray paint room, TV and video room, as well as a small gym facility.
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