The President's House at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

is located at the intersection between 116th Street and Morningside Drive, on the university's

Morningside Heights Morningside Heights is a neighborhood on the West Side of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Morningside Drive to the east, 125th Street to the north, 110th Street to the south, and Riverside Drive to the west. Morningsi ...

campus in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Built in 1912 by

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

, it is the official residence of the

president of Columbia University The president of Columbia University is the chief executive of Columbia University in New York City. The position was created in 1754 by the original royal charter for the university, issued by George II, and the power to appoint the president w ...

. It was first occupied by

Nicholas Murray Butler Nicholas Murray Butler (April 2, 1862 – December 7, 1947) 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 ...

, and with the exception of acting President Frank D. Fackenthal and President

Michael Sovern Michael Ira Sovern (December 1, 1931 – January 20, 2020) was an American legal scholar who served as the 17th president of Columbia University. Prior to his death, he served as the Chancellor Kent Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. He wa ...

, it has been the residence of every university president since its construction.

History

At Columbia's midtown campus, where it was located from 1857 to 1897, a house for the president was built in 1862 near the corner of 49th Street and Fourth Avenue (later Park Avenue). It served as the home of both Charles King and

Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard (May 5, 1809 – April 27, 1889) was an American academic and educator who served as the 10th President of Columbia University. Born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, he graduated from Yale University in 1828 and serv ...

. It was the president's official residence until that campus's demolition. A new official residence for the university president was originally planned upon the university's relocation from its former campus on

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...

to its current location in

in 1897. Original designs for the campus layout by

included such a residence, either as a freestanding building or as part of an administration building. However, the building was not considered a priority for Columbia until 1909, when the university acquired the land for East Campus, on which the house is located. The plot was originally imagined as a new campus for the College of Physicians and Surgeons, though it was eventually decided that the president's residence would be built there through the efforts of

, out of a desire either not to live directly on campus or to take advantage of the view of

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

from the site. Butler occupied the house for 33 years, and yielded it to incoming president

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

, two years after his resignation. Under Eisenhower, the house was run by his wife,

Mamie Eisenhower Mary Geneva "Mamie" Eisenhower (; November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 as the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Born in Boone, Iowa, she was raised in a wealthy household in Colo ...

, dubbed the "first lady" of Columbia University by Martin Teasley. The fifth floor penthouse, which was formerly used as a storage space, was converted to a studio for his amateur painting. The house served as Eisenhower's campaign headquarters during his 1952 presidential campaign. This decision drew criticism from some, including dean of the School of Journalism

Carl W. Ackerman Carl William Ackerman (January 16, 1890 in Richmond, Indiana – October 9, 1970 in New York City) was an American journalist, author and educational administrator, the first dean of the Columbia School of Journalism. In 1919, as a correspondent ...

, who claimed that it made it appear as if Columbia had endorsed Eisenhower as an institution, and that the university was inadvertently funding his campaign by paying for the house's maintenance. During the tenures of Frank D. Fackenthal and Michael I. Sovern, the President's House was unoccupied, with the latter opting instead to live in his

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

apartment. The house, however, was still used to entertain guests of the university, became the residence of the sitting president again with the accession of President George Erik Rupp in 1993. Beginning under Rupp, and finishing during the tenure of

Lee Bollinger Lee Carroll Bollinger (born April 30, 1946) is an American attorney and educator who served as the 19th president of Columbia University from 2002 to 2023 and as the 12th president of the University of Michigan from 1996 to 2002. Bollinger is c ...

, the house underwent a $23 million renovation.

References

{{Coord, 40.80644, -73.959394, format=dms, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title Columbia University campus McKim, Mead & White buildings Houses completed in 1912