Campus & Community

Columbia University Facilities and Operations completed a comprehensive renovation and historic restoration of Low Plaza and the granite steps connecting College Walk to the plaza, helping to ensure that one of the University’s most recognizable and heavily used campus spaces can be used and enjoyed for decades to come. The project is Low Plaza’s first major, holistic renovation since its construction circa 1897. 

Originally known as South Court, Low Plaza was designed by architect Charles Follen McKim as part of McKim, Mead and White's 1894 master plan for Columbia’s Morningside campus. The plaza was constructed using dark red Catskill brick in herringbone and running bond patterns and Joliet limestone to emulate the colors seen in surrounding academic buildings, linking the plaza's design to the rest of the campus. 

The renovation addressed deterioration of the plaza’s walking surface, strengthened the substrate below the plaza to better withstand the significant loads and stress the plaza endures, and substantially modernized the plaza infrastructure. Improvements include a new drainage system; new and upgraded electrical service to better support major events and activities; and new lighting infrastructure, including adjustable lighting in the fountains and along the plaza. 

In addition, the granite steps leading from College Walk to the plaza were replaced with the same Stoney Creek granite that was used during original construction to address damage incurred over time, natural wear and tear, and uneven settling. 
 

Columbia started classes in the new Morningside Heights campus in October 1897. On this brand new campus, the engineering students finally had ample classroom and laboratory space in their two new buildings: the School of Mines (now Lewisohn) and the School of Engineering (now Mathematics). But did you know that there used to be a full-size locomotive engine underneath Havemeyer Hall?