Columbia University

Columbia University, New York, New York

Columbia University Window Survey Report 1 of 2 (PDF) 25.7MB

Columbia University Window Survey Report 2 of 2 (PDF) 30.3MB

Columbia University's core historic campus, located in the Morningside Heights area of Manhattan, is an ensemble of classically designed Beaux Arts buildings that date to the turn of the twentieth century. Many of them were designed by the prominent architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White. The windows of these buildings, which are the originals and range in date from 1903 to 1928, are an integral part of the character of the campus. Planning funds will support the creation of a detailed report on the specifications of existing windows, which are in various states of disrepair, in order to proceed with a repair and replacement program.

Columbia University received a Getty grant in 2002 for $200,000 to support campus heritage planning.

Report Summary

Purpose: The principal goal of the project was to complete a survey of window types and develop specifications for their replacement in eleven of the McKim, Mead & White buildings at the Morningside campus of Columbia University. The project team evaluated exisiting conditions (including assessments of hazardous materials such as lead and asbestos in window components), and provided the institution with the best options for preserving the character of these buildings that are integral to the university’s identity. The team’s recommendations balance these needs with those regarding the end-user functions of a large and complex urban university, including but not limited to aesthetic and historic issues, noise attenuation, energy conservation, and environmental comfort.

Historic Designation(s): Multiple.

Planning Process: Columbia University formed a team of specialists, including university architects, surveyors, cost-estimators and window specialists in addition to landmark preservationists, experts in historic window refurbishment, historians, and conservators. Students from the Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning, and Historic Preservation also took part in the survey. Project methodology focused upon the widest range of conditions and how various window types would meet a building’s current and potential future needs. The team assessed and categorized exisiting conditions and the kinds of levels of repair and/or intervention that are or may be required.

Outcomes—Products: The project produced the “Columbia University in the City of New York: Window Survey Report,” volumes 1 and 2 (2003), which provides detailed evaluation and analysis of a core group of McKim, Mead & White buildings on the institution’s Morningside campus. Each building is discussed in relation to material findings, recommendations, cost estimates (for total vs. partial refurbishment) and appendices with further data such as detailed record drawings and photographs. It also includes wood and paint analysis and an assessment of the landmark designations of the campus.

Outcomes—Strategies and Goals for the Future: It is hoped that the report produced by the project will provide a template for university administration and planning to tackle the complicated project of window repair and replacement. The goals is for the work to be completed within preservation parameters that respect the needs of a complex, modern-day urban institution that has a long and varied architectural and historical legacy.