D 1.1 Park Place Campus

Location

Lower Manhattan, just west of Park Place. Land acquired as gift from Trinity Church (Northern part of King's Farm Consisted of land (390' x 400'; about 6 acres) between Murray St. on the north and Barclay Street on the south, with Church St. as the eastern boundary and the North River as the western boundary. Broadway 2 blocks to the east; Greenwich St. 2 blocks to the west. Campus consisted of the northern half of the site.

Buildings

Only one academic building placed on the campus - College Hall, aka Columbia College Underwritten with gifts and a grant from the Province of New York. Cost of 11,000 pounds sterling Designed by Robert Crommelin Building situated on northern portion of the site; back to Murray Street, looking south and west Cornerstone laid August 23, 1756; opened in 1760; the remaining 2/3s of the site to the south and west, including water lots, eventually put out as rental property

Original Dimensions

Three stories; 180' x 30' - wings to come later had 24 sets of apartments, each with sitting room, study, bed chamber. Roof had a cupola. Brick and stucco construction.

Uses

1760s: a student as well as president and faculty residence. After 1800: exclusively as president and faculty quarters and no longer used as a student residence; classes conducted in faculty rooms.

Subsequent Renovations

1804 - 1806 - West wing constructed but soon thereafter crumpled

1817 - 1820 - Two wings of 50' square constructed on either side of the main hall; 4th floor to main building cost of $80,000

1829- 1830 - a 30' x 60' building to house Columbia Grammar School built between the back of Columbia College and Murray Street; at cost of just under $9000 1840s - Lots south of College Hall leased to commercial tenants; surrounding blocks given over to warehouses and shops.

January 9,1857 - Campus sold at auction in 13 parcels for $596, 350. Southern portion of property, about three acres, retained by the Trustees as investment property ("The Lower Estate")

May 5, 1857 - College holds farewell service and disinterred 1756 corner stone

Descriptions

Andrew Burnaby, 1758

Myles Cooper, 1770

Ezra Stiles in 1784 (includes a diagram of building)

Manasseh Cutler in 1787

Images

Thomas Howdell drawing, 1763 ("Palm tree print")

1763 Alexander Anderson wood engraving

1790 Victor Prevost photograph, 1855

1857 photograph after demolition had commenced

Maps

Montresor survey, 1765-66

B. Taylor map of lower Manhattan, 1797

Principle Source: Milton Halsey Thomas, "The King's College Building, with some notes on its later tenants," New-York Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 39 (January 1955), 23 - 61.