John Jay Hall is a 15-story building located on the southeastern extremity of the
Morningside Heights campus of
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, on the northwestern corner of 114th St. and
Amsterdam Avenue. Named for
Founding Father
The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
, ''
The Federalist Papers
''The Federalist Papers'' is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The c ...
'' author, diplomat, and first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court
John Jay
John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...
(Class of 1764), it was among the last buildings designed by the architectural firm of
McKim, Mead & White, which had provided Columbia's original Morningside Heights campus plan, and was finished in 1927.
The building includes freshman housing for students of
Columbia College and the
Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (popularly known as SEAS or Columbia Engineering; previously known as Columbia School of Mines) is the engineering and applied science school of Columbia University. It was founded as th ...
; John Jay Dining Hall, the university's primary undergraduate dining facility; JJ's Place, an underground student quick service restaurant; the university's health services center; and an elegant wood-paneled lounge. Among its most prominent residents was the Spanish poet
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...
.
Unlike
Carman Hall
Carman Hall is a dormitory located on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus and currently houses first-year students from Columbia College as well as the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
History
The building ...
, the other exclusively freshman dormitory at Columbia, in which rooms are double-occupancy and arranged in clusters of two around a common bathroom as a suite, John Jay Hall's accommodations consist primarily of single rooms along narrow corridors, generally with three double-occupancy rooms per floor. Other dormitories housing undergraduate freshmen (but not exclusively so) include
Wallach Hall
Wallach Hall is the second oldest residence hall (or dormitory) on the campus of Columbia University, and currently houses undergraduate students from Columbia College as well as the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. It ope ...
,
Hartley Hall
Hartley Hall was the first official residence hall (or dormitory) constructed on the campus of Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus, and currently houses undergraduate students from Columbia College as well as the Fu Foundation School ...
, and Furnald Hall.
History
"Skyscraper Dorm"
![John_Jay_lobby](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/John_Jay_lobby.jpg)
Following the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, significantly expanded enrollment at Columbia, combined with skyrocketing rents in Morningside Heights, prompted the construction of new dormitories at Columbia. Such a pressing need required a substantial expansion in housing space, and John Jay, the newest building for Columbia students, was built to nearly double the height of preexisting dormitories.
John Jay Hall was notably distinct from its institutional contemporaries on Morningside Heights. Johnson (now Wien) and
Hewitt Halls were built to house female Columbia graduate students and Barnard College undergraduates, respectively. Both employed lighter wood finishing and "early-American"
neo-colonial
Neocolonialism is the continuation or reimposition of imperialist rule by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony). Neocolonialism takes the form of economic imperialism, g ...
architecture, thought to reflect the comfortable, domestic environment women ought to be exposed to. In contrast, John Jay Hall featured dark wooden ceiling beams and panelling, as well as other details thought to render it a more "masculine" structure.
In his 1919 annual report, University President
Nicholas Murray Butler
Nicholas Murray Butler () was an American philosopher, diplomat, and educator. Butler was president of Columbia University, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the deceased Ja ...
wrote that the new dorm would "make provision for student life and student organizations which are so important a part of the total educational influence that the university, and particularly the College, exerts." Originally known simply as Students Hall, the building therefore incorporated features, such as the dining hall and
rathskeller
Ratskeller (German: "council's cellar", pl. ''Ratskeller'', historically ''Rathskeller'') is a name in German-speaking countries for a bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall (''Rathaus'') or nearby. Many taverns, nightclubs, ba ...
(the Lion's Den Grill, now JJ's Place), as well as student club space on the fourth floor, meant to foster on-campus student life. It rapidly became the center of undergraduate life, housing the offices of campus publications such as the ''Jester'' and the ''
Columbia Daily Spectator''. As humanist writer and Trappist monk
Thomas Merton wrote of his Columbia experiences in ''
The Seven Storey Mountain'', "The fourth floor of John Jay Hall was the place where all the offices of the student publications, the Glee Club and the Student Board and all the rest were to be found. It was the noisiest and most agitated part of campus." John Jay also came to house dances, alumni receptions, and the holiday Yule Log lighting ceremony.
![John_Jay_lounge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/John_Jay_lounge.jpg)
The first residents of what the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' had deemed the "Skyscraper Dorm", however, were agitated by its unreliable elevator service. Their irritation was expressed in a ''Times'' story headlined "Stair-climbing Stirs Columbia Students". Graffiti on one elevator noted "a fellow dropped dead from old age waiting for this elevator". Elevator service in the building remains faulty to this day.
USS John Jay
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, John Jay served as quarters for U.S. Navy midshipmen and was run, for training purposes, as if it were a naval ship, referred to as the "USS John Jay". When midshipman desired to enter the building, he would have to say to their superiors "request your permission to come aboard, sir".
1967 Protest
John Jay Hall was the site of violent
anti-Vietnam War protest led by the vice-chairman of the Columbia University Chapter of the
SDS,
Ted Gold
Theodore "Ted" Gold (December 13, 1947 – March 6, 1970)Jacobs, H. 275 was a member of Weather Underground who died in the 1970 Greenwich Village townhouse explosion.
Early years and education
Gold, a red diaper baby, was the son of Hyman G ...
. Over 300 protesters followed Gold into the lobby of John Jay, where they confronted the recruiting efforts the
U.S. Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
had mounted there. After the protesters came under attack by right-wing students, Gold urged a retreat in order to avoid further conflict. After regrouping at the West End bar near campus, sociology professor and SDS professor Vernon Dibble invoked the skirmish inside the building to rally the dejected students. "You let them push you out of John Jay Hall today. You have to go back there again tomorrow to keep your credibility as a radical student group," he insisted.
The scuffle in John Jay Hall induced
university President
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...
Grayson L. Kirk
Grayson Louis Kirk (October 12, 1903 – November 21, 1997) was an American political scientist who served as president of Columbia University during the Columbia University protests of 1968. He was also an advisor to the State Department an ...
to issue a statement of new school policy: "Picketing or demonstrations may not be conducted within any University Building." Nevertheless, the 1967 events in John Jay were merely the precursor to the much larger crisis surrounding the
protests of 1968
The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, predominantly characterized by popular rebellions against state militaries and the bureaucracies.
In the United States, these protests marked a turning point for the ci ...
, in which many other buildings, notably
Hamilton Hall, were occupied by striking students.
Renovations
In March 2022, the student lounge of John Jay was renamed after
Walter
Walter may refer to:
People
* Walter (name), both a surname and a given name
* Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968)
* Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
and
Shirley Wang
Shirley Wang is a Chinese-American philanthropist, businessperson, and CEO. She is the co-founder of The Walter and Shirley Wang Foundation, a philanthropic organization. She is also the founder and CEO of Plastpro, Inc., a leading fiberglass do ...
, son and daughter-in-law of Taiwanese business magnate
Wang Yung-ching
Wang Yung-ching (; 18 January 1917 – 15 October 2008), also called YC Wang, was an entrepreneur who founded a large business empire in Taiwan.
In 2008, ''Forbes'' ranked him as the 178th richest person in the world with an estimated net wor ...
, following the two's $10 million donation to improve undergraduate social spaces on campus.
Notable residents
*
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...
(1929–1930), Spanish poet, wrote that “my room in John Jay is wonderful. It is on the 12th floor of the dormitory, and I can see all the university buildings, the Hudson River and a distant vista of white and pink skyscrapers. On the right, spanning the horizon, is a great bridge under construction, of incredible grace and strength.”
*
John Berryman
John Allyn McAlpin Berryman (born John Allyn Smith, Jr.; October 25, 1914 – January 7, 1972) was an American poet and scholar. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and is considered a key figure in th ...
,
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet; once reported that he was knocked cold by a bottle that was tossed in through an open John Jay window.
*
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. ...
,
Governor of New York
*
Julia Stiles
Julia O'Hara Stiles (born March 28, 1981) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Stiles began acting at the age of 11 as part of New York's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Her film debut was a small role in ''I'' ''Love Yo ...
(2000–2001), actress, starred in ''
Save the Last Dance
''Save the Last Dance'' is a 2001 American teen dance film produced by MTV Films, directed by Thomas Carter and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas as a teenage interracial couple in Chic ...
'' and ''
Mona Lisa Smile
''Mona Lisa Smile'' is a 2003 American drama film produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures in association with Red Om Films Productions, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia R ...
''
*
Max Minghella
Max Giorgio Choa Minghella (born 16 September 1985) is an English actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is known for his roles in the films ''Syriana'' (2005), ''Art School Confidential'' (2006), ''Elvis and Anabelle'' (2007), '' ...
(2005–2006), actor, starred in ''
Syriana
''Syriana'' is a 2005 American political thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, loosely based on Robert Baer's 2003 memoir '' See No Evil''. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wrig ...
'' and ''
Art School Confidential''
*
Spencer Treat Clark (2006–2007), actor, starred in ''
Gladiator'', ''
Mystic River
The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts, in the United States. In Massachusett, means "large estuary," alluding to t ...
'', and ''
Unbreakable
Unbreakable may refer to:
* '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', a book written by Jenni Rivera
* Unbreakable (horse) (1935–1962), a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire
Film and television
* ''Unbreakable'' (film series), a trilogy directed by M ...
''.
*
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...
(1998–9), actor, known for his work in ''
Donnie Darko
''Donnie Darko'' is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and produced by Flower Films. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, ...
'', ''
Brokeback Mountain
''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by ...
'', ''
Zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...
'', and ''
Nightcrawler''.
*
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...
, actor, known for his work in
''The Walk'', ''
Inception
''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infi ...
'',
''Snowden''
*
Katori Hall
Katori Hall (born May 10, 1981) is an American playwright, screenwriter, producer, actress, and director from Memphis, Tennessee. Hall's best known works include the hit television series '' P-Valley'', the Tony-nominated '' Tina: The Tina Turner ...
, American playwright and winner of the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...
in 2021
*
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After ga ...
(1963–8), rock group. Co-founders George Leonard (1963–7) and
Robert Leonard (1967–68), singer/composer
Scott Simon
Scott Simon (born March 16, 1952) is an American journalist and the host of ''Weekend Edition Saturday'' on NPR.
Early life
Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of comedian Ernie Simon and actress Patricia Lyons. (1966–67), and manager
Ed Goodgold
Edwin "Ed" Goodgold (died May 7, 2021) was an American writer, music industry executive, academic administrator. He is known for coining the term "trivia" in 1965. He was also the first manager of Sha Na Na.
Biography
Goodgold was born in Israe ...
(1964–65) all resided in John Jay.
*
Jim McMillian
James M. McMillian (March 11, 1948 – May 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. After starring at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, McMillian played college basketball at Columbia University. He led Columbia to a three ...
(1965–1966), Los Angeles Lakers star, replaced Elgin Baylor at forward, led Lakers to 33 game win streak and NBA championship (avg 19.1/ game in playoffs).
*
Punch Sulzberger, publisher of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''
*
Philip Springer
Philip Springer (born May 12, 1926) is an American composer, best known for co-writing the classic Christmas song "Santa Baby". In a musical career spanning over 70 years, he is credited in 540 musical pieces, including composing songs for numero ...
, American composer known for writing the song ''
Santa Baby
"Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer in an attempt ...
''
*
Cristina Teuscher
Cristina Teuscher (born March 12, 1978) is an American former freestyle and medley swimmer who was a member of the U.S. women's relay team that won the gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He ...
, Olympic swimmer and gold medalist
*
Victor Cha
Victor D. Cha (born 1960) is an American academic, author and former national foreign policy advisor.
He is a former Director for Asian Affairs in the White House's National Security Council, with responsibility for Japan, North and South Korea, ...
, American presidential advisor and Korea specialist
*
John D'Emilio
John D'Emilio (born 1948) is a professor emeritus of history and of women's and gender studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his B.A. from Columbia College and Ph ...
, professor of women's and gender studies at
University of Illinois Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois sy ...
*
Fiona Sze-Lorrain
Fiona Sze-Lorrain (born 1980) is a French writer, musician, poet, literary translator, and editor.
Early life and education
Born in Singapore, Sze-Lorrain grew up trilingual and has lived mostly in Paris and New York City. She spent her childh ...
, poet
*
Raamla Mohamed
Raamla Mohamed is an American television writer known for her work on Little Fires Everywhere (miniseries), ''Little Fires Everywhere'' and Scandal (TV series), ''Scandal''. She is the writer and showrunner of the upcoming Hulu legal drama ''Reas ...
, television writer
*
Thomas Lippman, journalist specializing in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
*
Tom Kitt, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and musician
References
External links
John Jay Hall at Columbia HousingPhoto Tour of John Jay Hall*
', lecture by Professor Andrew S. Dolkart on October 5, 1999
*
Home on the Heights: 100 Years of Housing at Columbia' by Michael Foss, ''Columbia College Today'', September 2005
*
WikiCu: John Jay Hall'
{{Columbia University
Columbia University dormitories
University and college dormitories in the United States
Hall
McKim, Mead & White buildings
Residential buildings completed in 1927
Residential skyscrapers in Manhattan
Residential buildings in Manhattan
1927 establishments in New York (state)