Hourglass 2021-22 Issue 3 Online

10 | features the hourglass | March 2022
Life in the Residence
Apartments
Design by Trisha Yun ‘22
Photos courtesy of Rahiel Ibikunle ‘22
Baldwin’s apartments house a thriving community with bonds that last a lifetime.
RAHIEL IBIKUNLE ‘22
Staff Writer
The tenants of The Baldwin
School’s Residence have been
fostering a family together
for years. Baldwin provides
apartment spaces for current faculty
members and retired ones alike.
According to the Bryn Mawr Business
Association, the Residence was originally
part of the Bryn Mawr Hotel, which was
built in 1871. It was designed by Frank
Furness, a notable Victorian architect.
In 1888, Florence Baldwin founded
the Baldwin School and conducted classes
in her mother’s home. Nine years later,
she leased and later purchased the hotel to
use for classroom space. According to the
Lower Merion Historical Society, Baldwin
became a boarding school, and the rooms
in the Residence were used as student
dormitories.
Now, the building is a hodge-podge
of admissions offices, art studios, music
classes, and the entire Middle School.
Despite how much the Residence has
changed over the decades, a few apartments
remain, occupied by faculty and their
families.
Through sharing the same building
and workspace, the community has
flourished, and tenants have bonded with
each other in numerous and meaningful
ways.
Mrs. Oxana Harlamova, Orchestra
Director, has been living in the Residence
since 2001. Mrs. Harlamova said, “It’s
wonderful. Residents helped me raise my
kids—it’s like a big family. We helped
each other, saying things like, ‘Go out for
dinner, I will take care of your kids.’ It was
like a big village.”
Mrs. Harlamova added, “I would just
call and they would pick up [my daughter]
Maria from preschool or daycare… Kath
Houlahan from Admissions was living on
the second floor, and would always pick up
Maria for me.”
Ms. Pitocchelli, PE teacher and
athletic coach, said, “When I started
living at Baldwin, I was like, ‘I don’t want
anyone in my business.’ But there were
flowers at my door when I first moved in,
welcoming me to the Residence. And in
the past we have had resident parties and
fun celebrations of milestone birthdays and
things like that. I felt really lucky.”
“It’s wonderful.
Residents helped me
raise my kids—it’s
like a big family. We
helped each other,
saying things like, ‘Go
out for dinner, I will
take care of your kids.’”
The tight-knit community of the
Residence apartments is certainly unique.
When asked about her experience in
a different apartment building, Ms.
Pitocchelli said, “I basically knew my
manager and that was it. There were a
couple of people I would see and say hello
to, but I didn’t really know them.”
Right under the noses of Baldwin
students—or rather, above their heads—a
flourishing community lives in the rooms
just beyond their classrooms.
A look inside Mrs. Harlamova’s apartment in the Residence.
The Legend of Priscilla
CARLEY TAYLOR ‘23
Staff Writer
Strange occurrences have led many to believe that the ghost of a
former student, Priscilla, haunts the Residence.
Every old building has a ghost…
and in Baldwin’s case, it’s the
infamous spirit of Priscilla.
In my previous article, I discussed
the rumored haunting of the Residence.
Another one of the school’s best known
rumors is the legend of Priscilla, a student
who passed away back when Baldwin was
still a boarding school.
As the story goes, Priscilla was a
music-loving student who sadly lost her life
due to illness during her time at Baldwin.
After her death, her friends renovated the
student study room into a memorial, which
then served as the handbells room, and is
now Dr. Porges’s office. Some argue that
the renovation of this room as a tribute to
Priscilla may have attracted her spirit to
Baldwin.
According to the Director of
Handbells, Mrs. Erb, Priscilla is most
active in the performing arts classrooms,
as she is “fond of music.”
Mrs. Erb also recounted that the doors
of the Bells room would open and close on
their own accord. The Residence is old and
drafty, which could very well be an nonsupernatural
explanation. However, Mrs.
Erb said, “I like to think that it’s Priscilla
letting us know she’s there, enjoying the
music that she once loved as a student.”
Other students also reported strange
occurrences in the handbells room. Flora
Brigham ‘23 said that “two years ago, we
had a lockdown drill and someone was
laughing. Nobody claimed to do so.”
This event suggests that Priscilla was
present during the drill, and perhaps trying
to make contact with the new generation of
students through friendly laughter.
However, some of Priscilla’s actions
indicate a not-so peaceful presence coming
from our school’s ghoul.
One junior described the sound of
banging that would often fill the bells
room during her 8th grade classes. Izzy
Thompson ‘23 said, “It sounded like
someone was in [the walls], and it [the
sound] would always fill the room with
fear.”
Thompson added that she felt the
noise could be attributed to the old heating
system, but even so, “It felt like someone
was there trying to get to us.”
Other bells students recount stories
of footsteps coming from empty rooms
and hallways surrounding the bells room.
Sara Min ‘23 said, “The halls are always
creaking around [the bells] room even
when no one is walking in there.”
So, is Priscilla haunting the school?
That’s up for you to decide. The cold chills,
slamming doors, and strange noises all
suggest that her spirit is still here, enjoying
the music of the Residence. However, all of
these events could also be attributed to the
creaks and drafts of the old building. Thus,
the legend of Priscilla remains unsolved.