COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

A recent visit to the Morningside Heights campus of COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY reminded me that it's back-to-school time for students. We saw a lot of students moving in to their dormitories or apartments on the beautiful campus.

Columbia University was founded in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of England. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in New York state and the fifth oldest in the nation. In 1897, the university moved from 49th Street and Madison Avenue to its present location on Morningside Heights at 116th Street and Broadway. I made a picture of the LOW MEMORIAL LIBRARY (above), the architectural centerpiece of the neoclassical campus. The structure was named after the father of Seth Low, the university president when the campus moved. Built in the Roman classical style, it appears in the New York City Register of Historic Places. The building today houses the central administration offices and the visitors center.

At present, Columbia University has two major campuses: the campus in Morningside Heights, and the modern Medical Center further uptown, in Washington Heights. Today, Columbia is one of the top academic and research institutions in the world, conducting cutting-edge research in medicine, science, the arts, and the humanities. It includes three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools, and a school of continuing education.