427 Irving Ave.

From roof to foundation, 427 Irving was an adventure for a group of Class of 2000 graduates. With a melting pot of majors, the roommates credit a bit of destiny to their lifelong connection. 

Heather Cornell Focht, Emily Meyer Olschki, Robin Dodsworth, Sarah Boyle Albright and Dana White Beane, plus Sarah Hughes Kuhlman ’01, were accustomed to extra housemates of the creepy crawly and furry variety. 

Before even landing in the then-maroon house on Irving Street, a few of them shared a tortoise named Irving, who later moved to the street bearing his name. A ladybug infestation took over the windowsill in Focht’s room one year. And the group remembers the nameless raccoon that haunted the house’s attic. 

Several floors below, though, was an even spookier scene. Venturing down into the basement was an in-and-out operation. The bathroom — if it can even be called that — in the depths of the basement was condemned by the group. 

Previous residents left a blue-painted bar downstairs that made for the perfect hiding spot for imaginary intruders ready to jump out and scare the housemates. This made doing laundry quite the mission, they said, as was acquiring the machines. 

“Envision this: six girls go to Sears to shop for a washer and dryer knowing not a thing.”

The salesmen gave them the typical pitch, and the ladies did their best to be “stealthy” while comparing prices from other stores. The only problem — they were making this sales-savvy strategy up on the spot in front of the salesman. 

Pesky appliances seemed to be a theme for 427 Irving, as the group recalled baking being a challenge. Their toaster oven once caught fire, and their conventional oven ran hot and operated on a tilt, producing slightly slanted baked goods. 

They eventually cracked the code on how to bake (crooked) brownies. The group’s prized chocolate chip brown sugar bars were a staple in the house and became the ladies’ potluck essential. They each still make the recipe today.

Throughout the years, the ladies of 427 Irving have stayed connected through weekly emails that turned into group chats and video messages. They also meet up for vacations every few years.

“We are very different women. Our families look different, and they’re different ages. We have different parenting styles and different careers,” Albright said, “but I feel like this is always the safe place to come, judgment free, to get unconditional support and love.”

“It’s not that we had a 427 house,” Focht added. “We made a 427 home.”