Morningside Heights campus gates

The 116th Street Gates on Broadway

The Morningside Heights campus gates protect the Morningside Heights campus from the outside world. The gates are a strong architectural symbol of the University, on par with Low Library, The Sundial, and Alma Mater. Ironically, the most iconic 'gates' at Columbia, the 116th Street Gates on Broadway, are not even the campus' oldest gates, and are in fact a relatively recent addition, a gift of George Delacorte along with its mirror twin on Amsterdam Avenue. Each bears a small plaque that reads "May All Who Enter Find Peace And Welcome". The memorial pylons that are integrated into the gates were once freestanding on the sidewalk of 116th street before the construction of College Walk.

Existing Gates

Gates are found at the following locations and are open 24-hours, unless otherwise noted:

Gate name	Location	Hours
Lerner gate	Broadway, between Lerner Hall and Furnald
Class of 1929 (John Jay) gate	114th St, between John Jay Hall and Butler Library
Class of 1929 (Carman) gate	114th St, between Carman Hall and Butler Library
Main gate, east	Amsterdam Avenue at 116th St	Always open
Main gate, west	Broadway at 116th St	Always open
Wien gate	116th St, between Jerome Greene Hall and Wien Hall
Class of 1906 (St. Paul's Chapel) gate	Amsterdam Avenue at what would be 117th St	Limited hours
Class of 1891 (Earl Hall) gate	Broadway at what would be 117th St	Limited hours
Class of 1882 Gate	120th St	Limited hours
Taint Gate	Amsterdam Avenue between Hartley and Wallach	Rarely

The university sometimes closes select gates during inclement weather, though the 116th Street gates are virtually always open (except during Commencement and citywide emergencies such as September 11th).

The North Dutch Church Gates

One of the North Dutch Church gates with its sister in the background

The oldest gates on Columbia's campus flank the courtyard in front of St. Paul's Chapel and stand on steps leading from St. Paul's to Fayerweather Hall. The three sets of gates originally stood outside the North Dutch Church on the corner of Fulton and William Streets. The church had been erected in 1767 and demolished in 1872, and had served as the site of Commencement one time back in the early 19th century. The gates were donated in memory of Abram S. Hewitt.

The Midtown Campus Gate

Standing innocuously between Butler Library and John Jay Hall is one of the few relics of Columbia's Midtown campus. The solid looking free standing gates that open onto Weston Plaza once stood on a 49th Street entrance onto campus.

The Grove Gates

Barnard College graduates leaving through the Mapes Gate

The Class of 1882 Gate on 120th Street. The lamp is no longer part of the gate today

Long before the 116th Street gates were erected, the 'gates' on Columbia's campus referred to the three gates that stood around the Grove on the northern part of campus. The only one remaining today is the Class of 1882 gate on 120th Street, hidden behind CEPSR, and designed by Charles McKim. The other 2 gates, among the most ornate gates to grace Columbia's Morningside Heights campus are a distant memory.

The Mapes Memorial Gate, erected by the Classes of 1890-1892 in memory of Henry Mapes stood at roughly 119th Street and Broadway, where the shuttered service entrance between Levien Gymnasium and Chandler Hall is currently located. It was probably demolished in the course of the construction of Levien and Dodge Fitness Center in the Grove.

At the opposite end of the service driveway, which used to be a scenic path through the now-vanished Grove, stood the Class of 1888 Gate, an elaborate gate with separate side gates dedicated to the Arts and Sciences. It too has been replaced by a less than inspiring service entrance between Schermerhorn Extension and Mudd Hall.