Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Georgia Our 'Little' Cooper House
Darlington School: Private Boarding School in Rome, GA
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Our ‘Little’ Cooper House

Jill Babb | November 21, 2013 | 413 views

“But you know, love grows best in little houses

With fewer walls to separate

Where you eat and sleep so close together

You can’t help but communicate

Oh, and if we had more room between us, think of all we’d miss

Love grows best, in houses just like this.” – Little Houses by Doug Stone

 

Persons Hall, the home of Cooper House – our first year girls’ house, was built in a time of cement block dormitories with long hallways and small spaces. These spaces are experiencing a much-needed renovation, but those who live in her and love her, know that Cooper will always be a House that is physically designed to bring its residents close to each other.  

 

I started thinking about how the architecture of our house makes a home for our girls when I saw the words to Doug Stone’s song, “Little Houses.” Even though Cooper is a large building, the interior “where we eat and sleep so close together” is a cocoon for its residents. “You can’t help but communicate” in narrow hallways as you head to class, run to practice on the soccer field or walk to the lounge for a bowl of cereal. There is a culture of closeness facilitated by narrow halls where if “we had more room between us” we would miss out on smiles, hugs and shared laughter. Those who have climbed our staircases have bumped into a friend who has become family.

 

I would not wish for another home for our first year girls or myself. The cozy dorm office comforts the overburdened, the painted ceiling tiles of past residents reach through time to new residents, and the family apartments at the end of each hallway create a cushion of love and support. Doug Stone’s song sums it up perfectly, “Love grows best, in houses just like this.”