Columbia University was founded in 1754 as Kings College by King George II. Samuel Johnson was the first president of Kings College. He held the first classes of Kings College in a new schoolhouse connected to Trinity Church. It was located where we know today as present-day as lower Broadway in Manhattan. The first class of the college started off with only 8 students. The leading goal of Kings was the establishment of 1767 the first American school to grant a doctor degree. ¹

The following 6 years at King’s College were progressive, they hired regular faculty members, welcomed new male students because it was a college for only men, and graduated five bachelor’s degree students in a ceremony at St. George’s Chapel. They then opened a new campus at a park presented to King’s by Trinity Church. Samuel Johnson retired as president of King’s and was taken over by Myles Cooper, an Oxford-trained minister and staunch royalist. As the American Revolution started Cooper was chased out of New York by patriots and went to England. ²

The American Revolution ceased the growth of the college. King’s college stopped instruction in 1776 for 8 years due to the college being used as a medical hospital first by the Continental Army, then by the British during their time in New York. The college reopened in 1784 under a new name, Columbia. The redesigned name was the fervor that had inspired the nation’s quest for independence. Columbia College reflected the legacy of the Revolution in the greater economic, denominational, and geographic diversity.  ³

Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, students at King’s College, became important people in the founding of America. Hamilton and Jay played a humongous part in the reopening of the college in 1784. In 1857, the college moved again to Madison Avenue which was previously an asylum for the deaf and disabled. In 1860, Columbia played their first baseball game against NYU. By 1870, football was added as a sport in Columbia. By 1892, The School of Mines, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the School of Nursing, the School of Library Service, the School of Architecture, and the law school were all established. It was around the same time when Columbia acquired land in Morningside Heights which was also an asylum used for the insane. ⁴

Throughout the 20th century, changes at Columbia were reflected in America. The modern science of anthropology and the foundation of modern genetics were established at Columbia. The first core curriculum was offered which was named “War and Peace Studies” as a response to WWI. Columbia students had the feel of the small town of Morningside Heights and at the same time access to one of the world’s best cities. ⁵

 

Columbia College was an undergraduate liberal arts school for men until 1983 when women started becoming admitted. It is crazy to consider that one of the most prestigious universities in the world did not deem women as worthy of further education until after Thriller by Michael Jackson was released. The University includes two other undergraduate schools, The School of Engineering and Applied Science and The School of General Studies, along with Barnard and Teachers Colleges. Barnard College, a girls-only school, one of the seven sister schools, was founded in 1889. ⁶

Women from Barnard college received a diploma from Columbia but had to pursue all their studies independently. The Collegiate Course was soon dismantled and led to the opening of Barnard. Most courses at the university are open to students attending either college. Upon graduation, a woman would receive her degree from Columbia. ⁷

Some of the highlights of present-day Columbia University include Butler Library, and JJ’s Place. Butler Library is a large library for students to study. There is plenty of room if you want to study alone or with a group of friends, and it even has a built-in cafe that allows students to spend time there comfortably. Columbia was ranked #2 in the best colleges for food in America. JJ’s Place is a restaurant on campus that is a late-night hot spot for snacks, mid-night meals, and most importantly dessert. JJ’s is specifically open for students getting done with classes/work late and late-night hangouts on the weekends. JJ’s Place was usually open until 1am but starting in 2017-2018 they have been staying open all night until 10am. Since they stay open all night, they also started serving breakfast foods like omelets, scrambled eggs, and pancakes. ⁸ 

Columbia University today, sits at West 116th Street and Broadway, with a statue of Alexander Hamilton in the quad. Hamilton was a student at Columbia from 1773 to 1776. He attained the status of a special student by following a very difficult curriculum emphasizing the study of math, medicine, and law. The Low library nearby contains a bunch of historical artifacts in a historical exhibit including portraits related to the college history. ⁹

Another famous statue is the Alma Mater statue. It is a prominent visual symbol of the early twentieth century. Daniel Chester French, a famous sculptor of the 1890s began work on this statue. It is a large bronze statue that was built in 1900 and completed in 1907. This statue was a representative of a “nourishing mother” sitting in a gown on a throne. This statue is a traditional symbol for Columbia. This statue was sitting in the stunning rotunda which was the new center of the campus. It was and is currently still sitting in the middle of the Morningside Heights campus. This statue is over 8 feet tall and made of pure bronze. ¹⁰

Another famous sculpture at Columbia University is the statue of The Great God Pan. The statue is a half man and half goat, playing the pan pipes. This sculpture was originally made for the Dakota apartment building but deemed inappropriate due to the nudity and was donated to Columbia. In 1907, Charles Follen McKim installed the sculpture as a working fountain in the northeast corner of campus. However, it was later moved due to construction and was placed outside facing Lewisohn Hall. ¹¹

A major historical building is the Low Memorial Library. It was built in 1895-1897 and funded by Seth Low, a Columbia graduate of 1870 in honor of his father, Abiel Abbot Low. Abiel was a very wealthy importer in China trading. Seth was also one of the youngest presidents of the University between 1890-1901. The Low Library was modeled after the Pantheon of Rome. The library was viewed as the visual and academic focal point of the campus plan. The large central space in the library was successful for ceremonies and administrative offices. Its central location on campus makes it one of the most visited places on campus. The Low library was designated as a National Historic Landmark in December 1987. ¹²

The library staff roster consisted of five people in the Reference/Executive Department with a payroll of $4,750, 2 people at the Loan Desk at a total of $1220 a month, Six in the Shelf and Page service at $1,220, and fourteen in the Cataloging Department with a total payroll of $7,325 a month. An increase in the library population called for a $1,000 funds increase. During the ten-year administration of Willian Bakers administration, 444,002 new cards were written and placed into the library’s catalog. Baker’s administration was a huge take-off for the library. ¹³

From 1890 to 1915 Columbia had a huge statistical turn. They were not in the best condition after the turn-of-the-century American universities were all competing for students, teachers, and staff. It was a hard struggle for them. It was always a small old-fashioned competitive school to get into. It was hard to get into but Barnard, the principal of the school determined to not be as competitive as Yale, Harvard, and John Hopkins. They wanted the school to establish its own social-scientific field. ¹⁴ 

Another major Historical Landmark is Havemeyer Hall. Havemeyer Hall is one of the six original buildings designed and built on the campus. Havemeyer first opened classes and laboratories in the fall of 1898. Charles Fredrick Chandler, a leading chemist, and professor of Columbia was responsible for the building of Havemeyer. Havemeyer was built in recognition of Charles Follen McKim. The grand lecture hall, Room 309 was completed of red brick and limestone-trimmed structure. The windows were originally made of French plate glass. The main entrance of Havemeyer is located on the third floor, campus level. The two lower floors were used for labs and engineering chemistry. Presently, it is currently used for research and teaching space for physical chemistry. ¹⁵

 The topic I chose, Columbia University has a great deal of history not only to the history of New York but to America as well. Columbia University played a big role in the history of New York City because it was and still is one of the most known colleges in NYC. When the American Revolution happened, Columbia went down alongside New York City. The new charter when it reopened declared it the “mother college of the University of the State of New York.” Three years later, a new charter was issued that established Columbia College, returning the college to its previous status as a privately governed college serving New York City, with a board of trustees. Columbia University played a huge part in American sociology and social science.  

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Ferrari, Roberto. “Columbia University Libraries.” Public Outdoor Sculpture at Columbia, July 24, 2014, https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/outdoorsculpture/2014/07/24/conserving-jefferson-hamilton-and-the-thinker/.

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“History.” History | Columbia University in the City of New York. Accessed April 3, 2022. https://www.columbia.edu/content/history.

Low Memorial Library, Columbia University, New York (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Accessed April 3, 2022. https://www.nps.gov/places/low-memorial-library.htm.

Gill, Stephen. “Two Concepts of International Political Economy – Robert W. Cox, Production Power and World Order: Social Forces in the Making of History, New York: Columbia University Press, 1987, Pp. 500+ XXII; – Robert Gilpin, with the Assistance of Jean M. Gilpin, the Political Economy of International Relations, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987, Pp. 450 + Xiv.: Review of International Studies.” Cambridge Core. Cambridge University Press, October 26, 2009. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-international-studies/article/abs/two-concepts-of-international-political-economy-coxrobert-w-production-power-and-world-order-social-forces-in-the-making-of-history-new-york-columbia-university-press-1987-pp-500-xxii-gilpinrobert-with-the-assistance-of-jean-m-gilpin-the-political-economy-of-international-relations-princeton-princeton-university-press-1987-pp-450-xiv/F4F98F05DB6AA7A56A343591101AE5F5.

NYPL’s Public Domain Archive. “Trinity Church – NYPL’s Public Domain Archive Public Domain Search.” NYPL’s Public Domain Archive. NYPL’s Public Domain Archive, September 5, 2020. https://nypl.getarchive.net/media/trinity-church-1e8  

Test. King’s College, NYC. Accessed April 3, 2022. https://allthingshamilton.com/index.php/aph-home/new-york/king-s-college-nyc.

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