Morningside Heights campus gates
The Morningside Heights campus gates protect the Morningside Heights campus from the outside world. The gates are a strong symbolic 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 campuses oldest gates, and are in fact a relatively recent addition, a gift of George Delacorte along with its mirror twin on Amsterdam Avenue. 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 | |
| John Jay gate | 114th St, between John Jay Hall and Butler Library | |
| 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 |
| Wein gate | 116th St, between Jerome Greene Hall and Wein Hall | |
| Chapel gate | Amsterdam Avenue at what would be 117th St | Limited hours |
| 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).
Demolished Gates
The original gates that graced Columbia's campus stood around the Grove on the northern part of campus. The only one remaining is the Class of 1882 gate on 120th Street, hidden behind CEPSR, designed by Charles McKim. The other 2 gates, among the most ornate gates on 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 seperate 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.
