New York City Structures: Low Memorial Library

“An excellent expression of the neo-Classical style, the monumental domed building is the focal point of the [Columbia University] campus.”

The Low Memorial Library, known as the focal point of Columbia University's campus, was the first structure erected after Columbia settled in Morningside Heights. Amal Chen/The Epoch Times

Architect: Charles McKim
Built: 1895–1897

NEW YORK—“An excellent expression of the neo-Classical style, the monumental domed building is the focal point of the campus,” proclaims a Landmarks Preservation Commission document, referring to the Low Memorial Library, “and its imposing interior, dominated by a vast central hall with rich, classically inspired ornament, ranks as one of the finest monumental spaces in New York City.”

Columbia College moved three times before settling on the Morningside Heights campus in 1897. The Low Memorial Library was the first structure erected on the new campus.