Mercer Cribs: The Fairy Flat

The light green house with maroon shutters on Washington Ave., dubbed “The Fairy Flat,” houses Mercer seniors Catherine Lee, Becca Cassady and Katelyn Harris; and junior Nico Malancea.
Last year, Lee, Cassady, Malancea and Caitlin Childers lived in the house. When Childers graduated early, Harris took her place.
The girls originally chose the house for it’s location: it is close to Washington Library, Washington Park and the building that used to house the coffee shop Joshua Cup.
“It was a really good location for that and it’s not too far from school,” said Lee.
There are two large rooms toward the front of the house. White Christmas lights are strung across the ceiling of the spacious living room, which is in the back of the house, next to the kitchen. A door off the kitchen opens up to a deck with a beautiful view of Mercer’s Law School.
The house is actually divided into three flats, or apartments. The girls of the Fairy Flat live in the middle of the house, which is about 100 years old.
“During the spring and the summer I love the porch, because you can go out there and study, and you can eat food out there, which is fun. It’s just nice to be able to sit outside,” said Lee.
Cassady and Harris both love the living room. Cassady said, “It’s where all of our friends hang out, and it’s also the perfect place for late-night paper writing or napping on lazy days.”
Harris said the high ceilings and loft gives the room a spacious feeling without it being too large.
The most interesting aspect of the house is the spiral staircase leading up to the loft from the bottom floor.
“Originally [the loft] was up there as a studying space, but we put all of our arts and crafts stuff up there now. There are a couple easels and guitars up there, and the keyboard is up there,” Lee said.
Much of the furniture and decorations in the house came from family or friends. One family gave the girls a leather chair. “The [kitchen] table was my great-grandmother’s, and the paintings were things that we either already had or found,” Lee said.
Lee, Cassady and Harris all agree that the freedom and independence are two of the best things about living off campus.
“I really love being close to downtown as well,” said Cassady. “it’s nice to be able to walk to restaurants or events like the Cherry Blossom Festival,” she said.
There are disadvantages to living off campus, though. “Driving to campus can be inconvenient,” said Harris. Cassady agreed that driving to campus all the time can get tiresome.
“When it rains, the roof leaks, so we have pots and pans upstairs that we can’t use in the kitchen because they’re full of water whenever it rains,” Lee added.
Overall, the girls love their flat downtown. They enjoy having friends over for get-togethers, and according to Cassady “the benefits definitely outweigh the disadvantages.”