King's Crown (symbol)

The Columbia Crown is a common symbol associated with the school. The crown has been one of the least consistent symbols, changing and morphing and appearing in various forms throughout the schools history. It has also been adapted in various fashions by different schools within the University. Recently, the school has standardized usage of the crown and it has taken precedent over the seal and shield in branding. For example, the law school switched from using the shield and it's own logo to the spaded crown in 2007.

While the general characteristics of the crown have remained constant - three crosses, one above the crown and one in each of the left and right 'chambers' of the crown, the shape and ornamentation of the crown has varied widely. Some variances include whether or not the top cross is attached to a ball, or directly to the crown; whether the two interior crosses are elongated to take up the entire space or are short, leaving white space; whether the exterior of the crown has been smooth, or studded; whether the bottom and center line of the design have been blank or decorated, and whether with circle or diamond patterns.

Pictures

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  Modernized Crown

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  Spaded 'secular' Crown

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  Slightly more ornate crown, somewhat supplanted by the modernized crown

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  An older version of the Crown form at least as early as the 1960s.

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  A crown ca. 1914, appearing in Frederick Keppel's Columbia

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  Columbia College Crown

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  SEAS Crown

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  The crown atop the 116th St. Gates

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  Crown on the CC Dean's office door ans affixed to various furnishings in Hamilton Hall.

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  Another Columbia Crown

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  A Crown carved into the foundation of Hamilton Hall

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  The Columbia Club of New York seal

Further Reading

A Little Polishing of the Crown: Columbia's logo gets slight revision (June 2006)