Low Memorial Library facts for kids
The Low Memorial Library is a famous building located on the Columbia University campus in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1895 by Columbia University President Seth Low. He used $1 million of his own money to build it because the university didn't have enough funds from its alumni. President Low named the library to honor his father, Abiel Abbot Low.
Originally, the building was the university's main library. But after the larger Butler Library was finished in 1934, Low Memorial Library became home to the university's main administrative offices. Today, it's the most important and well-known building on the Morningside Heights campus.
The wide steps leading up to the library are a popular spot for Columbia students to meet. You can also find Daniel Chester French's sculpture, Alma Mater, which is a symbol of the university. Low Library was recognized as a New York City landmark in 1967. Its interior was also designated a landmark in 1981. Twenty years later, it became a National Historic Landmark.
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Low Memorial Library
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(2012)
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| Location | Campus of Columbia University, Manhattan, NY |
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| Built | 1894-97 |
| Architect | Charles Follen McKim of McKim, Mead, and White |
| Architectural style | Neo-Classical |
| NRHP reference No. | 87002599 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 23, 1987 |
| Designated NHL | December 23, 1987 |
Contents
Building Design and Style
Low Library was designed by Charles Follen McKim. He was part of the famous architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White. This firm designed many buildings on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus.
Neo-Classical Features
The library was built in the neo-classical style. This means it uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. It looks a lot like the Pantheon in Rome. The building is shaped like a Greek cross. Its windows are similar to those found in the ancient Baths of Diocletian.
The columns on the front of the library are in the Ionic order. This style is often used for buildings related to arts and learning. An inscription, or writing, on the building's upper part tells the history of Columbia University. It says:
King's College Founded in the Province of New York
By Royal Charter in the Reign of George II
Perpetuated as Columbia College by the People of the State of New York
When they became Free and Independent - Maintained and Cherished from Generation to Generation
For the Advancement of the Public Good and the Glory of Almighty God
Inside the Library
The inside of Low Library also has many classical touches. When you enter, you'll see bronze statues of the Greek gods Zeus and Apollo. The main entrance area, called the foyer, has a white marble statue of Pallas Athena. This statue was given by Jonathan Ackerman Coles, a Columbia College graduate. Athena is surrounded by the twelve signs of the zodiac.
The building's main circular room, called the rotunda, is 106-foot-tall (32 m). It used to be the main reading room when the building was a library. This grand room has columns made of green Connemara marble from Ireland. These columns have gold tops. Statues of Roman and Greek thinkers like Demosthenes, Euripides, Sophocles, and Augustus Caesar look down from above. Four important areas of knowledge – Law, Philosophy, Medicine, and Theology – are marked at the four points of the Greek Cross shape. The rest of the inside is decorated with beautiful Italian and Istrian marble.
History of the Building
Low Library was the first building constructed on Columbia's new Morningside campus. It was built in 1895 on land that used to be crop fields and the site of the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum.
From Library to Offices
Low Library served as the university's main library until 1934. That's when the much larger Butler Library took over its role. After that, Low Library still held some university records for a while. Today, it mostly contains administrative offices for the university. However, the words "The Library of Columbia University" are still carved on the building's front. This often makes people think it's still a library.
Student Protests
Low Library has been a significant site for student protests. During the 1968 Columbia protests, students occupied Low Library. They were protesting several issues, including the university's plan to build a gym in Morningside Park. They also protested Columbia's involvement with the Vietnam War.
Inside Low Library, students barricaded themselves in the office of University President Grayson L. Kirk. They looked for documents there. The students were eventually removed from the building after the New York Police Department intervened.
Commemorations and Later Protests
In 1954, during the university's 200th anniversary, Low Library was featured on a postage stamp. This happened after former Columbia University president General Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected US president in 1952. For the university's 250th anniversary in 2004, an image of the library was put on a pre-stamped postcard.
More recently, from April 14–22, 2016, a group called Columbia Divest for Climate Justice held a peaceful sit-in outside President Lee Bollinger's office in Low Library. They wanted the university to stop investing in fossil fuel companies. Students stayed inside the building, and others showed support by sleeping outside on the library steps. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also supported the students.
Images for kids
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A student snowboards down Low Steps during the winter.
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Frieze inscription
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Trustees' room
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The final plan for Low Library, published in Harper's Weekly in 1894 on the eve of the building's construction
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A modern view of the rotunda, showing the interior pillars made of polished green Vermont granite and crowned with Greek Ionic capitals of gilt bronze
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Low Library, c. 1902–05
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Commencement in front of Low Library, 2005
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The 1954 Columbia University Bicentennial stamp, depicting Low Library
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