By Jewel Marie
Maxwell Hall, a new housing option that opened during the 2024-2025 school year, has been a big talking point amongst students. As the number of McPherson College students continues to grow, the need for more housing options becomes more urgent. Maxwell Hall was one of the solutions.
Maxwell Hall is located on Maxwell Street and is in two buildings that used to be Cedars retirement homes. The buildings were bought by the college in March of 2024 to make room for the increasing number of incoming students.
Although the buildings are located off campus, Maxwell Hall is still recognized as an on-campus apartment by the college. As one of the first students to live in Maxwell, I hope to provide some of my insights into what it is like living here.
The rooms themselves are honestly quite nice. Another plus is that the space is rather quiet, which in my opinion makes it a step-up compared to the resident halls like Dotzour and Bittinger. The quiet atmosphere makes it a great place to live if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like loud noises or simply wants a place to focus on homework.
In contrast to the dormitories, Maxwell consists of a smaller, tight-knit community with little to no drama. The RAs and residents are incredibly kind and I’ve personally had good interactions with everyone in the building.
“I like that it’s one floor. You can’t hear the idiots above you raging out at their games, and you typically know everyone who’s around you,” said sophomore Madi Hershberger, who previously lived at Dotzour Hall. Hershberger continued, “It’s just a smaller community of people, so it’s a little bit nicer.”
Each room has a personal bathroom equipped with a sink and shower. This is great for students like me who prefer not to share bathrooms with the rest of your floor. The vending machine in the building is also a nice touch when you need a drink to get your day started or even a late-night snack.
Another benefit to Maxwell is that parking is always available. Due to the small size of the hall and the number of students living here, parking is close and rarely ever a problem.
As for some of the cons of living here, the rooms can feel cramped at times. The bathrooms take up a decent amount of space, so when you combine that with all the desks, closets, and beds, the room can start to feel packed pretty quickly. Add a roommate into the mix and space can become more difficult to balance.
The bathrooms, while nice, also have their fair share of problems. The showers are flat-floored, meaning the water won’t drain as easily as your average dorm showers. When I first moved in, I was so worried about flooding that I borrowed additional towels from my neighbors the first week.
There are two kitchens in the building but, like the other residence halls, there are times where the cooking areas get quite messy. With Maxwell it’s a unique situation because oftentimes on one side, the kitchen will be nice and tidy while the microwave will be covered in burnt-on food from top to bottom. Meanwhile the other side will have the nicest microwave you’ve ever seen while the rest of the kitchen is left in disarray.
After living here for almost a full year, I would still say Maxwell Hall is a great place to live. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t any hiccups along the way with the kitchens or the bathrooms or anything else, but I genuinely believe the pros far outweigh the cons. If you’re willing to pay slightly more for a quieter space, personal bathroom and nicer parking, then Maxwell is the place for you!
