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.
The Columbia Crown does not appear to correspond exactly with any of the present Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The closest match would be St. Edward's Crown, which would make sense since, as it was crafted in 1661 and would have been worn by George II at the time of the founding of King's College. However, the Columbia crown is notably missing the fleur de lis present in all British royal insignia since the Norman conquest.
Pictures
Historical crowns
- 1914crown.jpg
A crown ca. 1914, appearing in Frederick Keppel's Columbia
An older version of the Crown form at least as early as the 1960s
Slightly more ornate crown, somewhat supplanted by the modernized crown
Another Columbia Crown
Current crowns
Columbia College crown
SEAS crown
Modernized crown
Spaded 'secular' crown, light blue
Spaded 'secular' crown, dark blue
The Columbia University Club of New York seal
Examples of use
The crown atop the 116th St. Gates
Crown on the CC Dean's office door, also affixed to various plaques in Hamilton Hall
A Crown carved into the foundation of Hamilton Hall
Further Reading
A Little Polishing of the Crown: Columbia's logo gets slight revision (June 2006)
