Dawes House / La Maison française
Even if you do not live at Dawes House, please do not hesitate to attend Dawes' events: film screenings, thematic teas and more! Please, visit out News & Events page for more details.
If you are interested in living in Dawes House, please contact Martine Gantrel, Department Chair.
It is a great opporunity to practice French and to get immersed in the language and in the culture: students are encouraged to speak French and all house meetings are conducted in French plus exchange students from universities in Paris and Geneva live at Dawes so you will really enjoy a French and francophone experience! The house subscribes to a variety of French magazines and newspapers. Even house flyers and signs are translated into French to keep with the theme.
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Opened as a house in 1926, Dawes was soon transformed by the events of World War II. The college began to question the future of its Junior Year in France program when Paris fell to occupied forces in the early years of the war. So, Dawes was opened as La Maison Française in the autumn of 1941 as Smith's center for French language and culture. After the war, the house continued as the French house, a place where sophomores worked on their fluency before going abroad for their junior year, and where seniors returned from theirs. In 1977 the original house was torn down to accommodate the building of on-campus student apartments, the Friedman Houses. Dawes House was relocated to its current location at 8 Bedford Terrace.
Currently, Dawes houses 19 women in 17 singles rooms and one double.
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