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Low Memorial Library

Low Memorial Library is the iconic administrative centerpiece of Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus in New York City, originally constructed as the institution's principal library from 1895 to 1897.^[1] Designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White in the Beaux-Arts style, the building draws inspiration from the Roman Pantheon with its granite dome—one of the largest in North America at 70 feet in diameter and 105 feet high—and a grand portico supported by Ionic columns.^[2] ^[3] Funded by Columbia College alumnus and future university president Seth Low with a $1 million donation equivalent to about $38 million today, it honors his father, Abiel Abbot Low, a prominent merchant.^[3] ^[4] As the first major structure erected on Columbia's relocated campus, Low Memorial Library established the architectural tone for the surrounding ensemble of neoclassical buildings, featuring a Greek cross plan, sweeping granite steps ascending from College Walk, and an interior rotunda adorned with marble and coffered ceilings.^[1] ^[5] The library functioned as Columbia's central repository for books until 1934, when collections outgrew its capacity and were transferred to newer facilities; thereafter, it transitioned to house the university president's offices, board of trustees' meeting rooms, and ceremonial spaces.^[6] Today, it also serves as the visitors center and hosts events, underscoring its enduring role as the campus's symbolic heart.^[7] Designated a National Historic Landmark, the building exemplifies early 20th-century American academic architecture, blending classical grandeur with practical functionality, though its stacks and seminar rooms reflect adaptations to institutional needs over time.^[1] Its prominence has made it a frequent site for university commencements and public gatherings, reinforcing Columbia's identity amid the urban landscape of upper Manhattan.^[5]

Location and Site

Campus Integration

Low Memorial Library occupies the central position in Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, serving as the visual and functional anchor of the Beaux-Arts master plan devised by McKim, Mead & White in the 1890s.^[1] This layout, executed starting in 1897, arranges academic buildings symmetrically around the library's elevated plinth, creating axial vistas and enclosed quadrangles that evoke classical precedents such as the Roman Forum or European university precincts.^[8] The structure's commanding dome and portico, rising 105 feet, terminate College Walk's northward axis, directing pedestrian flow upward via a monumental staircase of 32 steps flanked by balustrades.^[1] As the inaugural major edifice on the relocated campus—completed in 1897 amid the university's shift from Midtown Manhattan—the library established the site's hierarchical organization, with subordinate faculties like law and philosophy halls positioned adjacently to reinforce intellectual centrality.^[3] Its integration extends to landscape features, including the Alma Mater statue at the base of the steps, installed in 1903, which symbolically welcomes entrants into the academic core while framing the library as a gateway to knowledge.^[9] This configuration not only unifies disparate buildings under a cohesive neoclassical aesthetic but also promotes communal gathering, with the forecourt historically hosting commencements and protests.^[1] The library's site-specific adaptations, such as terracing the steep Morningside Heights terrain into a plateau, enhanced its prominence against the Harlem Plain backdrop, ensuring dominance over surrounding structures like Avery Hall (1912) and Butler Library (1934), which defer to its scale without eclipsing the original focal point.^[8] Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987 alongside the campus quadrangle, Low exemplifies enduring Beaux-Arts principles of monumentality and symmetry in American higher education planning.^[1]

Iconic Steps and Alma Mater Statue

The iconic steps of Low Memorial Library consist of broad granite stairs ascending from College Walk, providing a monumental approach to the neoclassical structure since its completion in 1897.^[1] These steps, exceeding 100 years in age, have served as a central gathering point on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, often referred to by students as "Low Beach" due to their use for lounging and social activities.^[10] In 2022, Columbia University undertook restoration of portions of these granite steps and adjacent pathways to preserve their structural integrity amid heavy foot traffic.^[10] Midway up the steps stands the Alma Mater statue, a bronze sculpture created by Daniel Chester French and unveiled on September 23, 1903.^[11] The approximately eight-foot-tall seated female figure, symbolizing the university's nurturing spirit, holds a scepter of wheat in her right hand and a book in her left, while resting on a klismos chair atop a marble and granite base designed by McKim, Mead & White.^[11] ^[12] Commissioned in 1901 and donated by Matilda Goelet in memory of her husband, Columbia alumnus Robert Goelet (Class of 1860), the statue embodies classical motifs drawn from French's earlier works, including influences from ancient Greek and Roman iconography to represent knowledge and abundance.^[13] ^[14] Positioned prominently on the library steps, Alma Mater has functioned as an enduring emblem of Columbia University, overlooking key campus events and protests, such as the 1968 student occupations, while fostering traditions among undergraduates who interact with it through photographs and rituals.^[15] ^[16] The statue's detailed craftsmanship, including symbolic elements like a laurel wreath and owl motifs evoking wisdom, underscores French's reputation for monumental public art, though it required conservation efforts in the 20th century to address patina and structural wear from environmental exposure.^[17] ^[15]

Architectural Design

Neoclassical Influences and Form

Low Memorial Library exemplifies neoclassical architecture through its adoption of classical Greek and Roman forms, designed by Charles Follen McKim of McKim, Mead & White and completed in 1897.^[1] The structure draws direct inspiration from the Pantheon in Rome, incorporating a prominent dome and symmetrical layout to evoke the grandeur of ancient civic buildings.^[18] This influence manifests in the building's Greek cross plan, featuring a central octagonal rotunda capped by the largest freestanding granite dome in the United States, rising 132 feet high.^[18]^[9] The facade presents a classical temple portico with ten 35-foot-high granite Ionic columns, emphasizing axial symmetry and proportion typical of neoclassical revivalism.^[9] These elements, combined with arched windows modeled after those in the Baths of Diocletian, integrate Roman imperial motifs to project permanence and intellectual authority befitting a university library.^[9] McKim's design also references the Library of Congress in its colonnaded front, adapting Beaux-Arts principles to harmonize classical purity with functional monumentality.^[18] Internally, the form reinforces neoclassical ideals through an octagonal reading room with sixteen green Connemara marble columns featuring gilded bronze capitals, surrounding a central space originally intended for scholarly assembly.^[18] The dome's interior, with its coffered design and light-reflecting white sphere, mimics the Pantheon's oculus effect, symbolizing enlightenment amid structured order.^[1] This deliberate revival of antiquity underscores McKim's belief in classical architecture as a timeless framework for American institutional identity.^[3]

Exterior Elements

The exterior of Low Memorial Library exemplifies Beaux-Arts neoclassicism, with a symmetrical facade centered on a projecting portico featuring ten fluted Ionic columns rising two stories to support a pedimented entablature.^[19] Designed by Charles Follen McKim of McKim, Mead & White and constructed between 1895 and 1897, the portico draws from classical precedents like the Pantheon in Rome, serving as the building's primary visual focus on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus.^[1] Above the columns, a frieze inscription reads "LIBRARY OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY" in raised lettering, emphasizing the structure's original function.^[18] The building's approach is defined by broad granite steps ascending from College Walk in multiple flights separated by landings, culminating in a raised esplanade that enhances the monumentality of the entrance.^[1] This stepped plinth, integral to the campus plan, elevates the library above street level, fostering a sense of procession and hierarchy. The overall form follows a Greek cross plan with identical porticos on all four elevations, though the south facade facing the quad remains the most prominent.^[1] Crowning the rotunda is a low, saucer-shaped dome clad in granite, recognized as the largest all-granite dome in the United States at the time of construction.^[20] Exterior walls combine brick facing with stone detailing, including terracotta accents on cornices and window surrounds, contributing to the light, classical appearance that unifies the campus aesthetic.^[19] These elements, completed under the supervision of general contractor Norcross Brothers, underscore the building's role as the campus's architectural anchor.^[21]

Interior Layout and Features

The interior of Low Memorial Library follows a Greek cross plan, featuring a central octagonal rotunda flanked by ambulatories, four corner staircases, and specialized rooms.^[18] The main floor includes a two-story entrance vestibule leading to the rotunda, encircled by hallways with oak paneling listing benefactors' names, and accessed via bronze-and-glass double doors.^[22] The rotunda, originally the primary reading room, spans 73 feet across and is crowned by a dome 105.5 feet high with a sky-blue plaster interior over steel mesh, supported by 16 columns of green Connemara marble featuring Greek Ionic capitals.^[22] Four upper galleries, originally fitted with oak shelving for books, ring the space, illuminated by clerestory windows and adorned with statues of Euripides, Demosthenes, Sophocles, and Augustus Caesar on Istrian marble pedestals.^[22] ^[18] The encircling ambulatory features geometric marble floors in yellow, pink, white, and black patterns, limestone pilasters, and coffered ceilings with five caissons each.^[22] At the vestibule's east and west ends lie the President's Room and Trustees' Room, elevated by marble steps and entered through paneled oak doors with stone architraves detailed in leaf-and-dart moldings.^[22] The Trustees' Room, a wood-paneled meeting space for university trustees, includes an ornate stone fireplace, chandelier, portraits, and configurable wooden tables with blue leather chairs accommodating up to 33 persons.^[23] ^[18] Additional interior spaces encompass the wood-paneled Faculty Room with a long conference table for meetings and the Burden Room equipped for audiovisual use, while upper levels originally housed seminar rooms with iron shelving stacks.^[24] ^[18] Ornamentation throughout includes classical motifs such as acanthus leaves, Greek frets, wreaths, and foliate designs in plaster, bronze, and marble, with the vestibule floor displaying bronze zodiac reliefs and a white marble bust of Pallas Athene.^[22]

Historical Development

Planning and Funding

The planning for Low Memorial Library originated as part of Columbia University's relocation from its Midtown Manhattan site to the new Morningside Heights campus, with the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White commissioned in 1893 to develop a comprehensive Beaux-Arts master plan centered on a domed library as the campus focal point.^[1] This design positioned the library at the head of College Walk, integrating it as the symbolic and functional core amid surrounding academic halls.^[9] Funding for the project came primarily from a personal donation by Seth Low, then-president of Columbia University (1890–1901) and a Columbia College alumnus, who pledged up to $1 million on May 6, 1895, after alumni contributions proved insufficient to cover construction costs.^[25] ^[18] Low named the building in memory of his father, Abiel Abbot Low (1811–1893), a prosperous China trade merchant whose estate provided the financial basis for Seth Low's philanthropy.^[1] ^[22] The $1 million allocation—equivalent to approximately $38 million in 2024 dollars—enabled the library to serve as the inaugural major structure on the new campus, completed in 1897 without reliance on broader university or public fundraising campaigns.^[3]

Construction Timeline

The design of Low Memorial Library was conceived by Charles Follen McKim of the firm McKim, Mead & White, with initial plans developed in 1893 as the focal point of Columbia University's new Morningside Heights campus layout.^[26] Funds for the project were provided by Seth Low, who donated in memory of his father, Abiel Abbot Low, enabling rapid progression from planning to execution.^[1] Construction began in 1895, shortly after the acquisition and preparation of the site, positioning the library as the inaugural major edifice on the relocated campus.^[27] ^[1] The project advanced efficiently under McKim's oversight, incorporating Beaux-Arts principles with a granite dome and classical portico, reflecting the firm's expertise in monumental architecture.^[22] The structure reached completion in 1897, just two years after groundbreaking, and was promptly opened to serve as the university's primary library housing extensive collections.^[1] ^[22] This swift timeline underscored the institution's commitment to establishing a grand academic core amid the campus's early development phase.^[27]

Functional Evolution

Early Use as Central Library

Low Memorial Library opened to the public on October 4, 1897, functioning as Columbia University's central library and the first major academic building on the new Morningside Heights campus.^[28] Designed by Charles Follen McKim of McKim, Mead & White, the structure centered around a grand circular reading room under a 106-foot-diameter dome, intended to accommodate up to 1,000 readers with mahogany desks, electric lighting, and extensive shelving for the university's growing collections.^[29] At its inauguration, the library housed approximately 150,000 volumes, reflecting Columbia's expansion from its prior Madison Avenue location, where space constraints had limited access to materials.^[29] The library's layout optimized for scholarly work, featuring stack rooms on multiple levels accessed via iron staircases and seminar spaces equipped with Snead Standard stacks for efficient book storage and retrieval.^[22] Early operations emphasized open access to resources, with the rotunda serving as the primary reading area and administrative functions like cataloging handled in adjacent offices; by the early 1900s, daily circulation supported thousands of students and faculty amid the university's enrollment growth from 1,000 to over 5,000 undergraduates between 1897 and 1920.^[5] The building's neoclassical interior, including marble floors and decorative murals, fostered an environment conducive to research, positioning Low as one of the largest university libraries in the United States at the time.^[29] During its initial decades, Low Memorial Library centralized Columbia's bibliographic resources, including rare books and periodicals, while hosting events such as lectures and trustee meetings in dedicated rooms off the main hall.^[28] This period marked a shift from the university's decentralized collection management to a unified system, enabling expanded interlibrary services and supporting academic disciplines from humanities to emerging sciences.^[1] Usage peaked in the 1920s, with the facility accommodating over 200,000 volumes by 1930, though spatial limitations began to emerge as the collections outgrew the original capacity.^[30]

Challenges and Overcrowding

Despite its initial design capacity for approximately 1.9 million volumes, Low Memorial Library's central rotunda and ceremonial layout proved inefficient for library functions, restricting stack space and hindering effective organization of collections from the outset.^[1] The building's emphasis on grandeur over utility limited accommodations for expanding reader traffic and administrative library needs, exacerbating operational strains as Columbia University's enrollment and research demands grew post-1900.^[3] Overcrowding emerged rapidly, with the facility reaching capacity limits within a decade of its 1899 opening due to surging book acquisitions and student usage amid the university's academic expansion.^[31] By the late 1920s, persistent space shortages forced reallocations of materials and prompted planning for relief, culminating in the transfer of core collections to the larger Butler Library upon its completion in 1934.^[32] These pressures highlighted the mismatch between the library's symbolic prestige and its practical shortcomings, influencing the shift toward supplementary facilities to sustain scholarly access.^[9]

Transition to Administrative Offices

The growing volume of Columbia University's library collections, which had exceeded the capacity of Low Memorial Library by the early 1930s, prompted the construction of a larger facility to accommodate expanded holdings and user demands.^[9] The new Butler Library, designed by James Gamble Rogers and completed in 1934, assumed the role of the university's central library, effectively relocating the bulk of book stacks, reading rooms, and staff operations from Low.^[33] This shift marked the end of Low's primary function as a working library after 37 years of service since its opening in 1897.^[30] In conjunction with Butler Library's activation, administrative functions at Columbia centralized in Low Memorial Library starting in 1934, transforming its interiors from library-specific layouts to office spaces suited for executive and governance activities.^[1] The building's rotunda and surrounding rooms, including the longstanding Trustees Room established upon opening, were repurposed to house the university president's office, board meeting chambers, and other key administrative units, leveraging the structure's neoclassical grandeur for ceremonial and leadership purposes.^[28]^[34] This adaptation preserved Low's symbolic centrality on campus while addressing practical needs, as the removal of shelving and cataloging areas freed up space without altering the core architectural envelope.^[35] The transition facilitated ongoing use of Low for high-level decision-making, with minimal structural modifications beyond refitting interiors for desks, conference facilities, and private suites; for instance, the president's office evolved from earlier configurations in the building to more expansive quarters post-1934.^[35] By prioritizing administrative efficiency over library operations, Columbia ensured the building's viability amid mid-20th-century enrollment growth and bureaucratic expansion, a role it has retained continuously.^[1]

Contemporary Uses and Adaptations

Since the completion of Butler Library in 1934, Low Memorial Library has primarily served as Columbia University's central administrative hub, housing the offices of the president and other senior executives, including spaces like the Trustees Room originally designed for governance meetings.^[28]^[35] The building accommodates key decision-making functions, such as university senate sessions and board deliberations, reflecting its adaptation from a library to a executive and ceremonial facility.^[1] The rotunda, formerly a reading room, now functions as a versatile venue for university events of varying scales, including receptions, lectures, and official ceremonies like convocations.^[24] Adjacent spaces, such as the Faculty Room appointed in 1964, support smaller gatherings and administrative receptions, maintaining the building's role in fostering institutional activities.^[36] This shift underscores its enduring utility as a symbolic and practical center for Columbia's operations. Recent adaptations have focused on preservation and accessibility enhancements to sustain these uses, including elevator upgrades in 2023 compliant with New York City codes, restoration of the historic cast-iron rotunda window and granite steps in 2022, and conservation of the main entrance foyer.^[37]^[38]^[10] These interventions ensure the structure's neoclassical integrity while addressing modern functional needs, such as improved mobility and structural longevity.^[34]

Criticisms and Controversies

Design and Functional Critiques

The neoclassical design of Low Memorial Library, executed by McKim, Mead & White, faced early criticism for perceived lack of originality, with the Real Estate Record and Guide in 1897 decrying it as "plagiarized" due to resemblances to an early 19th-century French church attributed to an architect named Rumpf.^[39] This reflected broader period skepticism toward Beaux-Arts adaptations that drew heavily from classical precedents without innovation, prioritizing monumental symbolism—such as the Pantheon-inspired rotunda and freestanding granite dome—over novel expression.^[1] Later evaluations highlighted the design's emphasis on aesthetic grandeur at the expense of adaptability, exemplified by the central octagonal rotunda spanning 73 feet, which, while visually imposing with its 16 green marble columns and 105-foot-high coffered dome, proved inefficient for sustained library operations.^[1] The Greek cross plan, with its fixed layout of reading rooms, galleries, and basement stacks, constrained expansion in a structure engineered primarily for ceremonial permanence rather than scalable storage.^[18] Functionally, the library accommodated an initial capacity of approximately 500,000 volumes but was projected to hold up to 1.9 million at full build-out; however, Columbia's collections expanded rapidly, rendering the space overcrowded by the early 1910s, with the rotunda ill-suited as a primary reading area due to noise propagation and limited shelving integration.^[1] By 1927, university assessments confirmed the building's inability to meet growing demands for open stacks and reader seating, exacerbated by the absence of provisions for vertical or modular growth in its rigid neoclassical framework.^[40] These spatial constraints, compounded by structural limitations on modifications like dome access for safety reasons, prompted the relocation of most holdings to the new Butler Library in 1934, converting Low to administrative and ceremonial use where its form aligned better with symbolic functions than bibliographic ones.^[18] In 1962 campus design protests, detractors characterized structures like Low as emblematic of "mock monumentality" that looked "backwards rather than forwards," critiquing the eclectic mannerism and awkward scale relative to evolving academic needs.^[41] This underscored a causal mismatch: the design's causal realism in evoking institutional gravitas via classical motifs inadvertently prioritized visual hierarchy over pragmatic utility, hastening functional obsolescence amid 20th-century knowledge proliferation.^[1]

Involvement in Campus Protests and Occupations

During the 1968 Columbia University protests, primarily against the Vietnam War, the university's affiliation with the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), and plans for a segregated gymnasium impacting Harlem residents, Low Memorial Library served as a focal point for demonstrators. On March 27, 1968, students staged a peaceful sit-in inside the library to demand disassociation from IDA, resulting in the probation of six participants by university administrators.^[42] Escalation occurred on April 23, 1968, when over 1,000 protesters gathered at the Sundial near Low Library, attempting to enter the building to deliver demands to President Grayson Kirk; finding it locked, they proceeded to occupy Hamilton Hall instead.^[43] A smaller group of students then broke into Kirk's office within Low Library, barricading themselves inside and rifling through files, marking the first building occupation of the uprising that ultimately involved five structures and lasted seven days.^[44] Police cleared the Low Library occupation around 4 a.m. on April 30, 1968, entering via underground tunnels and arresting approximately 200 students campus-wide, with reports of over 700 total arrests and numerous injuries during the crackdown.^[45] In subsequent decades, Low Library's steps and plaza have recurrently hosted protests without full occupations. On October 2, 2019, activists occupied the library to demand divestment from fossil fuels, echoing earlier anti-war tactics.^[46] During the 2023–2024 pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid the Israel-Hamas war, the area saw repeated gatherings, including a November 9, 2023, walkout and die-in organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace calling for divestment from Israel-linked investments.^[47] On October 7, 2024, hundreds participated in a Columbia University Apartheid Divest-led vigil on the Low Steps commemorating the Hamas attacks while protesting university policies, with no reported occupation of the building itself.^[48] Vandalism occurred on September 2, 2024, when the adjacent Alma Mater statue was painted red, allegedly by protesters, prompting heightened security around Low Library as classes resumed.^[49] These events underscore the library's symbolic role as an administrative hub, drawing activists to its vicinity despite fortified access post-1968.

Architectural and Cultural Significance

Landmark Status and Preservation

Low Memorial Library was designated a New York City Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on June 14, 1966, recognizing its architectural significance as a neoclassical structure designed by McKim, Mead & White.^[19] Its interior, encompassing the entrance vestibule, main reading room, and related spaces, received separate designation as a New York City Interior Landmark in 1981.^[22] On December 23, 1987, the building was elevated to National Historic Landmark status by the U.S. Department of the Interior, affirming its national importance in American academic architecture.^[1] These designations have imposed strict regulatory protections, requiring review and approval for any alterations to maintain the building's historic integrity, including its marble facade, Pantheon-inspired dome, and interior ornamentation. Preservation efforts have included targeted restorations to address wear from over a century of use; for instance, in 2019, Columbia University's Facilities and Operations initiated repairs and historic restoration of the second-floor lobby, focusing on structural and decorative elements.^[50] Conservation specialists, such as EverGreene Architectural Arts, have undertaken projects to restore plasterwork, gilding, and painted surfaces, commencing work in 2019 to preserve original decorative schemes.^[34] Additional preservation initiatives have addressed specific components, such as the replacement of historic windows with modern glazing systems that replicate original aesthetics while enhancing energy efficiency and durability, completed using specialized sealants and fabrication techniques.^[51] Ornamental metalwork, including canopies and railings, has also been restored to sustain the building's exterior coherence.^[52] These ongoing interventions reflect a commitment to balancing adaptive reuse with fidelity to the original 1897 design, supported by the landmark statuses that mandate documentation and material authenticity in all modifications.

Symbolic Role in University Life

Low Memorial Library stands as the architectural and symbolic core of Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, designed as the visual focal point of the original 1890s campus plan by McKim, Mead & White. Its prominent dome, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, and expansive staircase along College Walk create a commanding presence that encapsulates the university's commitment to classical learning and institutional grandeur.^[1]^[53] The library's steps and adjacent plaza serve as vital communal spaces in daily university life and major rituals, including commencement ceremonies held outdoors on Low Plaza since at least 1926, weather permitting. These gatherings, drawing thousands of students, faculty, and alumni, highlight the building's role in marking academic milestones and fostering a sense of shared heritage.^[54]^[1] Inside, the Rotunda functions as Columbia's premier ceremonial venue, hosting events such as convocations, receptions, and prestigious award presentations that underscore the university's intellectual prestige. The placement of the Alma Mater statue on its steps further symbolizes the institution's nurturing ethos toward knowledge and scholarship, reinforcing Low Library's status as the "beating heart" of campus identity.^[4]^[5]^[15]

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[40]
Guide to the Research Collections of the Columbia University Library
The greatest expansion of space since the move from Low Library into Butler Library has occurred since 1960, during the tenure of Richard Logsdon. In this ...
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Columbia Is the Latest Target Of Protests on Campus Designs
They listed the following criticisms: "In terms of esthetics it looks backwards rather than forwards-it is mock monumentality, eclectic, manneristic and awkward ...
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Columbia University students protest constructed of a segregated ...
In March 1968, students defied Kirk's policy and staged a protest inside the Low Memorial Library demanding Columbia de-affiliate with IDA.
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The Protests : The First Day - April 23, 1968
On April 23, 1968, protesters gathered at the Sun Dial, tried to enter Low Library, then occupied Hamilton Hall, and listed six demands.
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Columbia 1968 - The Sticking Place
The doors barricaded behind them, this small group moved across campus and smashed their way into the president's office in Low Memorial Library, the ...
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1968 Columbia Protest Against Vietnam War Was an Important Part ...
Apr 18, 2024 · Minutes later, police entered Low Library, again through tunnels, removing occupying students by force. By 4 a.m., they had cleared all ...
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Columbia student protesters are demanding divestment. Here's what ...
Apr 29, 2024 · Students and activists occupied the Low Memorial Library at Columbia University on October 2019 in New York, to urge staff and alumni to take ...
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Pro-Palestinian protesters stage walkout on Low Steps on Oct. 7
Oct 7, 2024 · Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a walkout on Low Plaza on Monday organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest as part of Within Our Lifetime ...
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Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian Students at Columbia Hold Side-by ...
Oct 7, 2024 · Starting last week, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a pro-Palestinian group, has been holding a vigil on the steps of Low Library. Unlike ...
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Columbia University term begins with protests and more security - BBC
Sep 3, 2024 · The Alma Mater statue outside Low Memorial Library was doused with red paint - allegedly by protesters. The area was reportedly blocked off ...
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Repairs and Historic Restoration of Low Library Second Floor Lobby
Dec 5, 2019 · Facilities and Operations has commenced repairs and a historic restoration of the second floor lobby of Low Memorial Library.Missing: funding | Show results with:funding<|separator|>
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Low Memorial Library, Columbia University - Tremco Sealants
The Low Memorial Library is located on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. Built in the Roman classical style, it was named a historic landmark ...
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Low Library Columbia University - Allen Architectural Metals
Jun 23, 2023 · The library is a neo-classical style design in the shape of a Greek Cross and features windows modeled on those of the Baths of Diocletian.Missing: form elements
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https://c250.columbia.edu/dkv/extracts/0240_low.html
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Nearly 100 Years of Outdoor Commencements - Columbia News
May 5, 2023 · Here we look back to 1926 and the first outdoor Commencement setup on Low Plaza. Even the Sundial's granite sphere and pre-Butler Library South ...