John Jay Hall is a 15-story building located on the southeastern extremity of the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in New York City , on the northwestern corner of 114th St. and Amsterdam Avenue . Named for Founding Father , The Federalist Papers author, diplomat, and first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court John Jay (Class of 1764), it was among the last buildings designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White , which had provided Columbia's original Morningside Heights campus plan, and was finished in 1927.
54-587: The building includes freshman housing for students of Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science ; John Jay Dining Hall, the university's primary undergraduate dining facility; JJ's Place, an underground student quick service restaurant; the university's health services center; and an elegant wood-paneled lounge. Among its most prominent residents was the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca . Unlike Carman Hall ,
108-475: A basement room for live jazz, and a large side dining room that could be used late night, after the kitchen was closed, by drinkers and revelers. Jazz historian Phil Schaap ran a jazz program at the venue from 1973, when he was an undergraduate at Columbia, to the mid-1990s. In 2004, The West End began brewing its own beers including its very popular, nearly 10% "Ker O'Whack", named for Columbia dropout and author, Jack Kerouac. The West End in 1990 also became
162-620: A full-service restaurant, including a widely popular Sunday brunch . It installed flat screen monitors for sports events. Playboy magazine featured The West End as "College Bar of the Month" in its February 2005 issue. The West End qua West End was sold in April 2006 and was replaced in late 2006 by "Havana Central at the West End", part of the expanding "Havana Central" chain of Cuban restaurants. The Havana Central closed on May 28, 2014, when
216-414: A group of other students from King's College, he joined a volunteer militia company called the " Hearts of Oak " and achieved the rank of Lieutenant. They adopted distinctive uniforms, complete with the words "Liberty or Death" on their hatbands, and drilled under the watchful eye of a former British officer in the graveyard of the nearby St. Paul's Chapel . In August 1775, while under fire from HMS Asia ,
270-528: A part of the total educational influence that the university, and particularly the College, exerts." Originally known simply as Students Hall, the building therefore incorporated features, such as the dining hall and rathskeller (the Lion's Den Grill, now JJ's Place), as well as student club space on the fourth floor, meant to foster on-campus student life. It rapidly became the center of undergraduate life, housing
324-521: A swimming test before receiving their diploma. The foreign language requirement, however, may be skipped if the student passes a placement exam or demonstrates requisite proficiency. Most students graduate within four years with a Bachelor of Arts degree . Most of the college's facilities are located on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, especially in Hamilton Hall , which houses its administrative and admissions offices, as well as
378-550: A time as the "West End Gate", was located on Broadway near 114th Street in Morningside Heights , Manhattan , New York City . From its establishment in 1911, the bar served as a common gathering place for Columbia University students, faculty and administration (its slogan was "Where Columbia Had Its First Beer "). Amongst the Columbia students who used the bar as a meeting place were Beat Generation writers of
432-507: A trend towards applicants applying to more than seven different institutions – an increasingly "scattershot approach" when compared to applications in the 1990s. Columbia College (including Columbia Engineering ) has an admittance rate that places it among the most selective of American colleges. For the fall term of 2010, there were 26,178 applicants for 2,397 placements in the Class of 2014, for an acceptance rate of 9.16%. By
486-494: A variety of denominations as a response to its growing reputation as one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the new nation. Columbia was located at its Park Place campus near New York City Hall for nearly a century, from approximately 1760 to 1857, at which point the college moved to 49th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan . During the college's forty years at this third location, in addition to granting
540-466: A whole relocated to the new campus in 1897. The academic history of traditions of Columbia College clearly had their beginnings in the classical education of the Enlightenment, and in this mold, the college's famous Core Curriculum was officially recognized and codified in 1919 with John Erskine's first seminar on the great books of the western tradition. Also in 1919, a course, War and Peace,
594-559: Is the oldest undergraduate college of Columbia University , a private Ivy League research university in New York City . Situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan , it was founded by the Church of England in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of Great Britain . It is Columbia University's traditional undergraduate program, offering BA degrees, and
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#1732787637395648-565: Is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States. Columbia College is distinctive for its comprehensive Core Curriculum and is among the most selective of American colleges, with an admission rate of 3.85% in 2024. Columbia College was founded as King's College in 1754 in the Province of New York by royal charter from King George II of Great Britain . Owing in part to
702-589: The Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine degrees, the faculties of the college were expanded to include the Columbia Law School (founded 1858), the Columbia School of Mines (founded 1864, now known as the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science ). The Columbia School of Mines awarded the first Ph.D. from Columbia in 1875. At this time, Columbia College was now not only
756-861: The First World War , significantly expanded enrollment at Columbia, combined with skyrocketing rents in Morningside Heights, prompted the construction of new dormitories at Columbia. Such a pressing need required a substantial expansion in housing space, and John Jay, the newest building for Columbia students, was built to nearly double the height of preexisting dormitories. John Jay Hall was notably distinct from its institutional contemporaries on Morningside Heights. Johnson (now Wien) and Hewitt Halls were built to house female Columbia graduate students and Barnard College undergraduates, respectively. Both employed lighter wood finishing and "early-American" neo-colonial architecture, thought to reflect
810-489: The 1940s, and later for student activists of the 1960s. In the early 1940s, in the formative days of the Beat Generation , students including Allen Ginsberg , Jack Kerouac , and Lucien Carr spent hours at the bar discussing their studies and their futures. In the 1960s, the bar was host to student activists upset about racial discrimination in the area and US foreign policy regarding Vietnam. Mark Rudd , who led
864-595: The 1967 events in John Jay were merely the precursor to the much larger crisis surrounding the protests of 1968 , in which many other buildings, notably Hamilton Hall , were occupied by striking students. In March 2022, the student lounge of John Jay was renamed after Walter and Shirley Wang , son and daughter-in-law of Taiwanese business magnate Wang Yung-ching , following the two's $ 10 million donation to improve undergraduate social spaces on campus. Columbia College, Columbia University Columbia College
918-653: The Columbia branch of Students for a Democratic Society and was a prominent member of the Weather Underground after his expulsion from the university in 1968, spent time at the bar while a student. After closing for a year and a half, it was leased from Columbia University by a group led by Jeff Spiegel and his wife Katie Gardner, a graduate of Columbia's School of Journalism . They renovated The West End, making an effort to have it look like it might have looked as an old Victorian era bar/restaurant. They expanded one room for catering, parties and even beer pong ,
972-623: The Hearts of Oak (the "Corsicans") participated in a successful raid to seize cannon from the Battery , becoming an artillery unit thereafter. Ironically, in 1776 Captain Hamilton would engage in the Battle of Harlem Heights , which took place on and around the site that would later become home to his alma mater more than a century later, only to be entombed after his dueling death some years later at
1026-482: The Morningside Heights main campus or within 10 blocks of the 116th Street entrance. First-year students are housed on the main quad in John Jay , Carman , Wallach , Hartley and Furnald Halls . The two main dining facilities are John Jay Dining Hall and Ferris Booth Commons; all freshmen are required to have a full meal plan. Other school dining facilities available on the Morningside Heights campus are located in
1080-731: The Trinity Church site to one along Park Place, near the city commons and today's New York City Hall . In 1767, Samuel Bard established a medical college at the school, now known as the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons , which was the first medical school to grant the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in America. Due to the American Revolutionary War , instruction
1134-721: The board count among them PBS president Lawrence K. Grossman , Thomson Reuters CEO Tom Glocer , hedge fund manager Mark E. Kingdon , Bain Capital co-managing partner Jonathan Lavine , Univision CFO Frank Lopez-Balboa, airline investor Frank Lorenzo , real estate developer Philip L. Milstein , H.I.G. Capital founder Sami Mnaymneh, KKR executive Alex Navab , C-SPAN co-founder Robert Rosencrans , Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer , healthcare entrepreneur Daniel E. Straus . Many eminent individuals have attended or taught at Columbia College or King's College, its predecessor. Among those College alumni categorized as "remarkable" by
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#17327876373951188-695: The board currently include ZhenFund CEO Anna Fang , JP Morgan Chase global head of research Joyce Chang, Virtu Financial CEO Doug Cifu, Academy Award -winning producer Dede Gardner , former NYC Commissioner for Consumer and Worker Protection Peter Hatch , USRowing Chairman and president Nobuhisa Ishizuka, HEICO co-president Eric Mendelson, Sixth Street Partners co-founder Vijay Mohan, Warner Bros. General Counsel John Rogovin, Morgan Stanley 's global head of technology Robert Rooney, HNA Group CEO Tan Xiangdong , former FTC Commissioner Mozelle W. Thompson , Happy Family CEO Shazi Visram , and hedge fund manager William von Mueffling . Former members of
1242-499: The building remains faulty to this day. During the Second World War , John Jay served as quarters for U.S. Navy midshipmen and was run, for training purposes, as if it were a naval ship, referred to as the "USS John Jay". When midshipman desired to enter the building, he would have to say to their superiors "request your permission to come aboard, sir". John Jay Hall was the site of violent anti-Vietnam War protest led by
1296-436: The central administration of the university. The complexity of managing the institution had been further increased when Barnard College for Women became affiliated with Columbia in 1889 followed by Teachers College of Columbia University in 1891. Also by this time, graduate faculties issuing the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in philosophy, political science, and the natural sciences had also developed. Thus, in 1896,
1350-435: The chart-topping alt-rock band Vampire Weekend . Among its graduates and attendees, Columbia College can count at least 16 Nobel Prize winners, 8 Emmy Award winners, 8 Tony Award winners, over 20 Academy Award winners, and 40 Pulitzer Prize winners. 40°48′28″N 73°57′46″W / 40.8079°N 73.9628°W / 40.8079; -73.9628 West End Bar The West End Bar , also known for
1404-407: The comfortable, domestic environment women ought to be exposed to. In contrast, John Jay Hall featured dark wooden ceiling beams and panelling, as well as other details thought to render it a more "masculine" structure. In his 1919 annual report, University President Nicholas Murray Butler wrote that the new dorm would "make provision for student life and student organizations which are so important
1458-629: The directors of the Core Curriculum. Butler Library , Columbia University's main library, is home to more than 2 million volumes of the university's humanities collection. The facility recently underwent an extensive four-year renovation, including the creation of a new wing, named Philip L. Milstein Family College Library in honor of its donor. Included is a specialized collection of approximately 100,000 volumes containing subject matter in history, literature, philosophy, and
1512-405: The fall term of 2024, applications had more than doubled, with 60,248 applicants for 2,319 placements in the Class of 2028, for an acceptance rate of 3.85%. Columbia College has long been known for its rigorous Core Curriculum , a series of mandatory classes and distribution requirements that form the heart of Columbia College students' academic experience. Students are also required to pass
1566-706: The first Chief Justice of the United States ; Robert Livingston , one of the Committee of Five who drafted the Declaration of Independence ; and Gouverneur Morris , one of the Committee of Detail who finished the last draft of the United States Constitution . Hamilton's first experience with the military came while a student during the summer of 1775, after the outbreak of fighting at Boston . Along with Nicholas Fish , Robert Troup , and
1620-410: The focus of the newly rearranged Columbia University , Low was also responsible for the monumental relocation of the university to its current location atop a hill in Morningside Heights in uptown Manhattan . A tract for the campus was purchased, which extended from 114th St. to 120th St. between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue . Charles McKim of McKim, Mead, and White was selected to design
1674-463: The highest since the early 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, the college experienced a drastic increase in gifts and endowment growth, propelling it from the periphery to the forefront of a university historically dominated by its graduate & professional schools. During the leadership of university presidents Michael Sovern and George Erik Rupp , many of Columbia College's facilities were extensively expanded and renovated. The number of residence halls
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1728-464: The holiday Yule Log lighting ceremony. The first residents of what the New York Times had deemed the "Skyscraper Dorm", however, were agitated by its unreliable elevator service. Their irritation was expressed in a Times story headlined "Stair-climbing Stirs Columbia Students". Graffiti on one elevator noted "a fellow dropped dead from old age waiting for this elevator". Elevator service in
1782-620: The influence of the Church of England , a site was chosen for the new college within the churchyard of Trinity Church on Broadway opposite Wall Street in New York City. The college remained at this site for less than a decade. The college chose Samuel Johnson to be its first president. He was also the college's first (and for a time only) professor. During this period, classes and examinations, both oral and written, were conducted entirely in Latin . By 1760, Columbia had relocated from
1836-402: The late 1960s. The scores were, however, similar to other Ivy schools except Harvard , Yale , and Princeton —a position not acceptable to Columbia's ambitious administration. After two committees reported in 1980 and 1981 that the all-male college's competitiveness with other Ivy League universities was decreasing, women were admitted in 1983. The median SAT score of the class of 1991 was
1890-1962: The list. Major publishers included were Alfred Knopf , Arthur Sulzberger , and Bennett Cerf . Rabbi Stephen Wise is also considered prominent. Columbia College graduates recognized in the arts include pianist Emanuel Ax , actor James Cagney , musician Art Garfunkel , composers Richard Rodgers and John Corigliano , lyricists Oscar Hammerstein II and Lorenz Hart , playwrights Samuel Spewack , Tony Kushner and Terrence McNally , writers Jack Kerouac , Allen Ginsberg , Herman Wouk , John Berryman , Thomas Merton , Clement Clarke Moore , Ben Coes , and Clifton Fadiman , screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz , filmmaker Joseph Mankiewicz , sculptor Isamu Noguchi , and violinist Gil Shaham . Architects James Renwick Jr. , Robert A.M. Stern , engineer William Barclay Parsons , baseball player Lou Gehrig , football player Sid Luckman , and business leader John Kluge were also Columbia College students. Additionally, highly visible former Columbia College students in recent years include former President Barack Obama , former United States Attorney General William Barr , and former Attorneys General Michael Mukasey and Eric Holder , New York Governor David Paterson , New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg , former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey , Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti , Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke , New York Congressman Jerry Nadler , Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves , political advisor and commentator George Stephanopoulos , actors Maggie Gyllenhaal , Jake Gyllenhaal , Anna Paquin , Casey Affleck , Amanda Peet , Matthew Fox , Timothée Chalamet , George Segal , Julia Stiles , Cinta Laura , and Kate McKinnon , radio personality Max Kellerman , directors Jim Jarmusch , Brian De Palma and Bill Condon , television showrunners Jenji Kohan and Beau Willimon , writer Paul Auster , historian Eric Foner , and
1944-468: The name of the original undergraduate college founded as King's College, but it also encompassed all of the other colleges and schools of the institution. (Though technically known as the "School of Arts", the undergraduate division was often called "The College proper " to avoid confusion.) After Seth Low became president of Columbia College in 1890, he advocated the division of the individual schools and colleges into their own semi-autonomous entities under
1998-572: The new campus, which was to be patterned after the buildings of the Italian Renaissance . While most American universities at this point had followed more medieval and Gothic styles of architecture, the neoclassical style of the new Columbia University campus was meant to reflect the institution's roots in the Enlightenment and the spirit of intellectual discovery of the period. Columbia College and Columbia University as
2052-823: The offices of campus publications such as the Jester and the Columbia Daily Spectator . As humanist writer and Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote of his Columbia experiences in The Seven Storey Mountain , "The fourth floor of John Jay Hall was the place where all the offices of the student publications, the Glee Club and the Student Board and all the rest were to be found. It was the noisiest and most agitated part of campus." John Jay also came to house dances, alumni receptions, and
2106-474: The original home of King's College in Trinity Church yard. With the successful Treaty of Paris in 1783, the domestic situation was stable enough for the college to resume classes in 1784. With the new nation's independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain , the name of the institution was changed from King's College to Columbia College, the name by which the institution continues to be known today. The college
2160-448: The other exclusively freshman dormitory at Columbia, in which rooms are double-occupancy and arranged in clusters of two around a common bathroom as a suite, John Jay Hall's accommodations consist primarily of single rooms along narrow corridors, generally with three double-occupancy rooms per floor. Other dormitories housing undergraduate freshmen (but not exclusively so) include Wallach Hall , Hartley Hall , and Furnald Hall . Following
2214-623: The proposed expansion plan. A fence at the site was torn down, and police arrested one student, whose release became one of the demands of the protest. After five days, the functions of the university were brought to a halt, and early on the morning of April 30 the students were forcibly removed by the New York City Police Department . As a result of the student protests, the university president Grayson L. Kirk retired, classified research projects on campus were abruptly ended, long-standing ROTC programs were expelled, and
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2268-407: The proposed expansion plans were canceled. The university experienced financial difficulties throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, and admissions standards in the college slightly relaxed to hasten the diversification of the student body following the 1968 protests. Paralleling a national trend after 1970, Columbia classes in the 1970s and 1980s, earned lower SAT scores than did Columbia students in
2322-402: The public. The college's board of visitors is an independent and self-governing advisory body composed of college alumni and parents. The board advocates for the interest of the college among the Columbia community, New York city and beyond. It also provides advice to the dean in identifying and addressing both immediate challenges and short-and long-term opportunities for the college. Members of
2376-628: The recently remodeled student center, Alfred Lerner Hall , Faculty House, and Uris Hall. In 2011, after the resignation of Michele Moody-Adams , James Valentini replaced her as Dean of Columbia College. The students of Columbia College elect the Columbia College Student Council (CCSC) to serve as their primary representative, advocate, and liaison to the Columbia University community, including its administration, faculty, alumni and students, as well as to
2430-506: The skirmish inside the building to rally the dejected students. "You let them push you out of John Jay Hall today. You have to go back there again tomorrow to keep your credibility as a radical student group," he insisted. The scuffle in John Jay Hall induced university President Grayson L. Kirk to issue a statement of new school policy: "Picketing or demonstrations may not be conducted within any University Building." Nevertheless,
2484-682: The social sciences specifically intended to complement the Columbia College curriculum. The collection of the Columbia University Libraries consists of more than 9.2 million volumes held in 25 specialized libraries as well as a digital library, however Columbia College students do not have unlimited access to all specialized libraries. Students at Columbia College are guaranteed campus housing for four years. Residence halls, which also house undergraduate students of Columbia's engineering school , are either located on
2538-480: The trustees of Columbia College, under the guidance of Seth Low, approved a new name for the university as a whole, Columbia University in the City of New York . At this point, the name Columbia College returned to being used solely to refer to the original undergraduate college, founded as King's College in 1754 and renamed Columbia College in 1784. In addition to reclaiming the identity of Columbia College and making it
2592-1301: The university during its 250th anniversary celebrations in 2004 were Founding Fathers of the United States Alexander Hamilton , John Jay , and Gouverneur Morris (author of Preamble to the U.S. Constitution , "We, The People"). Other political figures in this group include statesman and educator Nicholas Murray Butler , New York Governor DeWitt Clinton , U.S. Secretary of State Hamilton Fish , South African anti- apartheid leader Pixley ka Isaka Seme , Chinese diplomat Wellington Koo , many New York City mayors, including Seth Low and John Purroy Mitchel , as well as spymaster William Joseph Donovan . Academics listed include philosophers Mortimer Adler and Irwin Edman , historians Jacques Barzun and Alfred Thayer Mahan , economist Arthur Burns , paleontologist Niles Eldredge , drama scholar Brander Matthews , art historian Meyer Schapiro and literary critic Lionel Trilling . Public intellectuals and journalists, including broadcaster Roone Arledge , social critic Randolph Bourne , environmentalist Barry Commoner , and writers like Henry Demarest Lloyd and Norman Podhoretz are also prominent on
2646-413: The university's campus into Morningside Park and to protest the university's sponsorship of classified military research. University officials wished to build new gymnasium facilities in the park, which, while located directly adjacent to the university, is separated by a steep cliff. Plans to create separate entrances for students and local residents was the primary objection of the student protesters to
2700-639: The vice-chairman of the Columbia University Chapter of the SDS , Ted Gold . Over 300 protesters followed Gold into the lobby of John Jay, where they confronted the recruiting efforts the U.S. Marines had mounted there. After the protesters came under attack by right-wing students, Gold urged a retreat in order to avoid further conflict. After regrouping at the West End bar near campus, sociology professor and SDS professor Vernon Dibble invoked
2754-523: Was briefly chartered as a state institution, lasting only until 1787, when due to a lack of public financial support the school was permitted to incorporate under a private board of trustees . This 1787 charter remains in effect. The renamed and reorganized college, located in the new national capital under the Constitution and free from its association with the Church of England, received students from
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#17327876373952808-472: Was increased to accommodate all Columbia College students for all four years of the undergraduate education. Hamilton Hall , the primary academic building of Columbia College has undergone extensive renovations, and the college's athletic facilities, located at Baker Field Athletics Complex on Manhattan 's far northern tip at 218th Street , were renovated and expanded. Like other elite schools, Columbia has been attracting ever higher numbers of applicants, with
2862-549: Was required of all Columbia College students in addition to the Great Books Honors Seminar. During the 1960s, Columbia College, like many others across the United States, experienced unrest and turmoil due to the ongoing civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War . On April 23, 1968, more than 1,000 students forcefully occupied five campus buildings in protest to the proposed expansion of
2916-535: Was suspended from 1776 until 1784, but by the beginning of the war, the college had already educated some of the nation's foremost political leaders, such as Alexander Hamilton , who served as military aide to General George Washington , initiated and authored most of The Federalist Papers , and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury ; John Jay , author of several of the Federalist Papers and
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