University Hall - Revision history

Pacman: /* The Library */

2024-05-09T22:22:41Z

‎The Library

Pacman: /* Original plan */

2024-05-09T22:22:32Z

‎Original plan

Reaganaut at 15:12, 22 November 2012

2012-11-22T15:12:55Z

Absentminded: /* Pictures */

2009-02-03T03:01:12Z

‎Pictures

Absentminded: /* Pictures */

2009-02-03T03:00:50Z

‎Pictures

69.121.14.195: /* The Library */

2008-11-21T04:39:01Z

‎The Library

69.121.14.195: /* Demolition */

2008-11-21T04:37:52Z

‎Demolition

Pacman: /* Pictures */

2007-12-20T22:16:39Z

‎Pictures

Pacman at 17:42, 18 December 2007

2007-12-18T17:42:08Z

Absentminded: /* Original plan */

2007-12-17T23:54:00Z

‎Original plan

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 The building's horseshoe shape combined with the two prominent smokestacks sticking out of it from the [[power plant]] led to it being called the "Steamboat on the hill."<ref>[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Spring2005/mycolumbia.html "Cerberus of the Steamboat: Had Dudley really been gassed in the trenches?"], Columbia Magazine, Spring 2005</ref>
-== The Library ==
+== The Library plan ==
 In [[1927]], with [[Low Library]] being over-filled with books, the university librarian wrote a 13 page letter to President [[Nicholas Murray Butler|Butler]] proposing that the solution would be to build University Hall as a massive new library and build a connecting hall between it and Low to create a massive library with a footprint rivaling [[St. John the Divine]]. Although [[James Gamble Rogers]] produced a series of drawings and blueprints of the proposed behemoth, the massive design and costs led the University to consider other options, and [[Butler Library]] was built instead.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 The original plans for the building called for the construction of Alumni Memorial Hall, a massive great hall to provide meeting spaces and a dining hall, and a University Theater with seating for up to 2500. The project was inspired by Harvard's [[w:Memorial Hall (Harvard University)|Memorial Hall]] and would have functioned much like Yale's [[w:Hewitt Quadrangle|Bicentennial Buildings]].
-However, the university never focused on [[fundraising]] for the building, leaving it to Alumni to raise the funds, who in early Columbia history failed spectacularly to do so on a number of occasions. In [[1900]] enough funds were scraped together to only build a single story. This burned down in [[1914]] and had to be rebuilt.
+However, the university never focused on [[fundraising]] for the building, leaving it to Alumni to raise the funds, who in early Columbia history failed spectacularly to do so on a number of occasions.
 The building as completed in [[1900]] featured the school's Gymnasium (now [[University Gym]], a.k.a. the "Blue Gym" in [[Dodge Physical Fitness Center|Dodge]]) with a marble pool below it, a power plant (both built in [[1896]]-[[1897]] and still there today), and a 500 person dining hall, called University Commons, on the campus level. The room, previously used by few students, underwent major renovations in [[1919]], and the cavernous space was transformed. The walls were decorated with scenes from Greek vases; Verses, taken mostly from passages by [[Homer]] and [[Hesiod]], were inscribed around them, and the rafters were decorated "so as to neutralize the impression of their unpleasant form." The renovations proved successful as the number of meals served in University Commons quadrupled by [[1922]].<ref>"A Glimpse of Columbia’s Past...", Columbia Record, January 18, 2002</ref>

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:12, 22 November 2012
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	[[Category:Unbuilt buildings]]		[[Category:Unbuilt buildings]]
−	[[Category:Demolished buildings ~~on the~~ Morningside Heights campus]]	+	[[Category:Demolished buildings]]
		+	[[Category:Morningside Heights campus]]

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 == Pictures ==
 <gallery>
-Image:UniversityGymOld.jpg|thumb|240px|University Gym, before [[Dodge Fitness Center]] was built around it, and [[Uris Hall]] above it
+Image:UniversityGymOld.jpg|University Gym, before [[Dodge Fitness Center]] was built around it, and [[Uris Hall]] above it
 Image:UCommons.png|University Commons, the first dining hall on the campus
 Image:Uhall.jpg|Artist's rendering of a completed University hall, looking south from [[The Grove]]

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 == Pictures ==
 <gallery>
 Image:UCommons.png|University Commons, the first dining hall on the campus
 Image:Uhall.jpg|Artist's rendering of a completed University hall, looking south from [[The Grove]]

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 == The Library ==
-In [[1927]], with [[Low Library]] being over-filled with books, the university library wrote a 13 page letter to President [[Nicholas Murray Butler|Butler]] proposing that the solution would be to build University Hall as a massive new library and build a connecting hall between it and Low to create a massive library with a footprint rivaling [[St. John the Divine]]. Although [[James Gamble Rogers]] produced a series of drawings and blueprints of the proposed behemoth, the massive design and costs led the University to consider other options, and [[Butler Library]] was built instead.
+In [[1927]], with [[Low Library]] being over-filled with books, the university librarian wrote a 13 page letter to President [[Nicholas Murray Butler|Butler]] proposing that the solution would be to build University Hall as a massive new library and build a connecting hall between it and Low to create a massive library with a footprint rivaling [[St. John the Divine]]. Although [[James Gamble Rogers]] produced a series of drawings and blueprints of the proposed behemoth, the massive design and costs led the University to consider other options, and [[Butler Library]] was built instead.
 == Demolition ==

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 == Demolition ==
-In [[1959]], the death knell for University Hall was rung when the [[Courtney Brown]], dean of the [[Business School]] secured a donation build a new facility for school, and got permission to use University Hall's site. The single campus level story was demolished and the construction of [[Uris Hall]] was completed by [[1964]].
+In [[1959]], the death knell for University Hall was rung when the [[Courtney Brown]], dean of the [[Business School]] secured a donation to build a new facility for school, and received permission to use University Hall's site. The single campus level story was demolished and the construction of [[Uris Hall]] was completed by [[1964]].
 == Pictures ==

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 Image:Uhall_lib2.jpg|A floorplan of the proposed library
 Image:UHall_lib3.jpg|One more floorplan
 </gallery>

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 The gymnasium hosted [[Commencement]] exercises until [[1926]].
-The building's horseshoe shape combined with the two prominent smokestacks sticking out of it from the [[power plant]] led to it being called the "Steamboat on a hill."
+The building's horseshoe shape combined with the two prominent smokestacks sticking out of it from the [[power plant]] led to it being called the "Steamboat on the hill."<ref>[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Spring2005/mycolumbia.html "Cerberus of the Steamboat: Had Dudley really been gassed in the trenches?"], Columbia Magazine, Spring 2005</ref>
 == The Library ==