Low Library

See also Wikipedia's article about "Low Library".

From Wikipedia's article on Columbia University.

The Low Rotunda Reading Room

Low Memorial Library was the university's main library on the Morningside Heights campus until the completion of Butler Library in 1934. It was named after Seth Low's father, Abiel Abbot Low. It is now an administrative building, housing Bollinger's office, as well as the Committee on Global Thought, the Columbia Security office, and the Visitor's Center. The University Archives have moved to the 6th floor of Butler Library

On warm days, students often congregate on the Low Library steps.

History

Low originally served as Columbia's main library and was the first academic building on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus. Construction was completed in 1897. The building was designed by McKim, Mead, and White, the main architects of most of the Morningside campus. As part of their original plan, the architects built the building quite tall for buildings of its time, with the fact that Columbia would eventually be part of a large city in later years in mind.

The Rotunda

The Low Library Rotunda is the University's primary ceremonial space on campus. It hosts major prize ceremonies such as the Pulitzer and Bancroft, hosts dignitaries and heads of state during the World Leaders Forum, and pretty much anything that's fancy and formal. A giant mural on the third floor of Butler Library depicts the ceremony held to honor the Queen of England on her visit to Columbia in 19??.

Above each of the 16 rotunda columns are pedestals for statues, but only 4 were ever erected. On the north side of the Rotunda from left to right are Euripedes (donated by Charles McKim, a copy of the Giustinian Euripides in the Vatican), a copy of the Vatican Demosthenes (donated by W. Bayard Cutting CC 1869), Sophocles, a copy of the statue in the Lateran Museum (donated by Dr. George G. Wheelock CC 1864), and Augustus Caesar, a copy of the statue in the Louvre (donated by F. Augustus Schermerhorn CC 1868). They're all carved from Istrian marble.

The Dome

Low Library's dome is rumored to be the largest freestanding granite dome in the United States. It is the most obvious part of the building to take its inspiration from the Pantheon.

According to legend, the first student to scale the dome was campus explorer Ken Hechtman, in 1987. He noted that he faced many obstacles in doing so, and that tags from the 1920s indicated that student groups had tried but failed. Today, access to the dome is no longer that uncommon for intrepid students.

The Trustee's Room

The Trustee's Room in Low Library

One of the more interesting rooms in Low Library is the Trustees room, immediately on the right in the lobby. The wood paneled room has a fireplace with the cornerstone of College Hall set into it, a portrait of President Samuel Johnson, and the original King's Crown hanging above it. In addition there are portraits of past chairmans of the board of trustees, and every chair in the room has a nameplate designating which current trustee sits there during meetings.

Original lay out

Long ago, when Low still functioned as a Library, the rotunda was the main reading room and held the circulation desk. The East wing of the main floor, currently the Committee on Global Thought's office, housed the Architecture library. An indication of this legacy is visible in the molding around the rooms ceiling, featuring the names of architects from Antiquity and the Renaissance. The collection eventually moved to Avery Hall, which was built for the specific purpose of housing the collection.

The north wing of the library, now the Faculty Room and housing a permanent exhibit of Chinese artifacts, served as the Law library until Kent Hall was constructed.

Space reservations

Contact Joseph Sabbat, Space & Reservations Coordinator, Low Memorial Library on 212-854-1874.