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Columbia University

Columbia's Morningside Heights campus was laid out by McKim, Mead & White in the 1890s around domed Low Memorial Library, whose steps hold Daniel Chester French's statue Alma Mater.

  • 5Buildings
  • 4Traditions
  • 1897Oldest · Low Memorial Library
  • 1934Newest · Butler Library

Planning the visit

  • Fly intoLaGuardia Airport (LGA)

    LaGuardia is about 25 minutes by car from Morningside Heights. JFK and Newark are farther out but connect to the subway and trains into Manhattan.

  • Getting aroundWalking / NYC Subway (1 train)

    The campus is a compact grid of quads that is easy to walk. The 1 train's 116 Street–Columbia University station is right at the main gates on Broadway.

  • Colors and teams

    Low Memorial Library is simply 'Low' to students.

5 buildings to stamp

  1. Low Memorial Library
    Photo: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Low Memorial Library

    116th St & Broadway, New York, NY 10027

    Charles Follen McKim's domed, Greek-cross temple of learning sits at the head of a grand flight of steps, with Daniel Chester French's Alma Mater statue waiting halfway up. Built as the central library, it has held the university's administration since 1934.

    Built
    1897
    Architect
    Charles Follen McKim (McKim, Mead & White)
    Style
    Neoclassical
    Today
    University administration
  2. Butler Library
    Photo: JSquish, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Butler Library

    535 W 114th St, New York, NY 10027

    Columbia's largest library faces Low across South Field, its façade inscribed with the names of great writers and thinkers. Built in 1931–1934, it stays at least partly open 24 hours a day during the academic year.

    Built
    1934
    Architect
    James Gamble Rogers
    Style
    Neoclassical
    Today
    University library

  3. St. Paul's Chapel

    1160 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027

    Red brick and limestone outside, Byzantine within, under a dome of green glazed tiles 91 feet high. Built in 1903–1907, it was the first building on the campus not designed by McKim, Mead & White.

    Built
    1907
    Architect
    I. N. Phelps Stokes (Howells & Stokes)
    Style
    Renaissance Revival exterior, Byzantine interior
    Today
    Chapel
  4. Philosophy Hall
    Photo: Cjs2111 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

    Philosophy Hall

    1150 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027

    One of McKim, Mead & White's original campus buildings, completed in 1910. It is a National Historic Landmark because Edwin Armstrong invented FM radio in its laboratories in the early 1930s.

    Built
    1910
    Architect
    McKim, Mead & White
    Style
    Italian Renaissance Revival
    Today
    English, Philosophy and French departments
  5. Casa Italiana
    Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Casa Italiana

    1161 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027

    Modelled on a 15th-century Roman palazzo, this 1927 building by William M. Kendall of McKim, Mead & White brings a slice of Renaissance Rome to Amsterdam Avenue. It houses the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America.

    Built
    1927
    Architect
    William M. Kendall (McKim, Mead & White)
    Style
    Italian Renaissance Revival
    Today
    Italian Academy for Advanced Studies

4 traditions to check off

Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.

  • Find the owl on Alma Mater

    An owl, a symbol of wisdom, is hidden in the folds of Alma Mater's robe near her leg, and superstition says the first new student to find it becomes valedictorian. Visitors can hunt for the owl on the statue in front of Low Library.

  • Low Steps

    The wide steps of Low Memorial Library, nicknamed 'Low Beach', are Columbia's favourite meeting spot. Sit on the steps and take in the view down to Butler Library.

  • The Sundial

    The 1914 Class of 1885 Sundial at the centre of College Walk lost its granite ball in 1946, but its platform remains a classic gathering place and free-speech corner. It is also where the winter tree lighting and Yule Log ceremonies begin.

  • College Walk tree lighting

    Each early December, the trees along College Walk are lit in a ceremony with a cappella music and hot chocolate, and the lights stay on until the end of February. Walk College Walk after dark in winter to see them.

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