Local neighborhood vendors, located both on campus and just off campus, have been a part of a Columbian’s daily life since the move to Morningside Heights in 1897. Two vendors in particular had lengthy relationships with those on campus and were fondly remembered by those who interacted with them. […]
Tag: Morningside Heights
Now Available | Columbia Bicentennial Anniversary Records
In 1954, Columbia marked its first 200 years with a year-long celebration. There were conferences, convocations, a weekly radio show, a commemorative US postage stamp, and a very special reception dedicated to the long-term Morningside Heights neighborhood businesses. From Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, attending the Charter Day Dinner to John Courtsounis, the peanut vendor […]
Stargazing at the Bloomingdale Observatory
Throughout the year, we have celebrated Columbia’s 125 years in Morningside Heights, since classes started on the new campus in October 1897. But Columbia actually has a slightly longer history on this site: Columbia built its very first structure on the new grounds in 1892 while the Bloomingdale Asylum was still operational. Welcome to the […]
Before Morningside Heights: Columbia’s Second Home
Before moving to Morningside Heights in 1897, Columbia spent 40 years on a one-square block campus: from 49th to 50th Street and from Madison Avenue to Fourth (now Park) Avenue. While there are no traces of the old campus in midtown anymore, you can find a few artifacts from Columbia’s previous home that made the […]
A Dorm for Crew on “Cathedral Heights”
The first students to reside on the Columbia campus on Morningside Heights were members of the 1895 Varsity Crew Team. Just months after acquiring the land and two years before classes even started on the new site, the crew team was granted permission to use a house on the Bloomingdale Asylum grounds as training quarters. […]