Russian House
Russian House, officially known as Allencroft, is a language-based coeducational residence hall on the Oberlin College campus.
This residence hall is closely connected with the Russian department and the Russian and East European Studies department.
If you are looking for a place to practice and improve your Russian-speaking skills and knowledge of Russia, Allencroft is the place for you.
Built in 1861 by Ralph Plumb, a hero of the famed Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, Allencroft was home to Dr. Dudley Allen beginning in 1865. In 1899, Allen’s son, Dudley Peter Allen and his sister Emily Allen Severance, gave the property to the college, making it the oldest residence hall on campus. It’s been renovated over the years but has retained its welcoming front porch and interior common spaces.
Today Allencroft is home to one faculty in residence. With support from a visiting Fulbright Russian language teaching assistantship, she organizes the programming for the 15 students who live here. This community, though small, is passionate about Russia, Russian language and culture, and is eager to share their interests with others on campus.
We encourage Russian and REES majors to live in Allencroft, where Russian is regularly spoken and residents get to plan and participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. You can practice your language skills while increasing your cultural knowledge through lectures, film screenings and discussions, poetry readings, sing-a-longs, cooking sessions, and interactions with students who have studied in Russia.
Students who wish to live in Russian House must complete an application with the Office of Residential Education Housing.
