War Memorial Tour of Columbia

Two flags were presented to Columbia on May 20, 1896, the day on which two of the cornerstones were laid for the original campus buildings. The flags were presented by members of the Grand Army of the Republic Post No. 140, Lafayette Post. The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), the first national veterans organization in the United States, was a fraternal organization for men who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Called to the flag of “peace, justice and prosperity,” those gathered on that day were asked to “love, cherish and defend it,” the words that are written on the bronze tablet at the base of the flagpole.

The Earl Hall plaque reads, “From the Graduates of the Air Service School for Radio Officers U.S.A.1918 Headquarters Earl Hall—1919 United States Army Commanding Officers.” It names of individuals associated with the School, established by the U.S. Army Signal Corps to train its students to “care for the wireless used on airplanes and otherwise in connection with aviation.”

The area around Mathematics Hall is thought to have been part of the Continental Army’s lines at the Battle of Harlem Heights during the American Revolution. Though inconclusive, the battle revived American morale after defeats on Long Island and at Kip’s Bay.

The Battle of Harlem Heights plaque was designed by James Edward Kelly, a sculptor known for his depiction of military events and scenes from American history. He designed the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Riverside Drive, as well as other memorials across the country. The plaque, a gift of the Sons of the Revolution in New York State, was installed in 1897, the year that the Morningside Campus was inaugurated.

Plaque installed to commemorate 1st Lt.Philip P. Bayer, USMC, Class of 1942.

On January 22, 1939, John Dunning, a Columbia professor and later Dean of the now School of Engineering and Applied Science, and two student assistants split the uranium atom in the basement of Pupin Hall. The success of this experiment led to the Manhattan Project and eventually to the development of the atomic bomb. George Pegram, chair of the Physics Department, was also involved; he and Dunning collaborated with Columbia professor Enrico Fermi. Space was limited, and the project was vulnerable to the threat of enemy invasion because of Columbia’s proximity to the Hudson River. The project was relocated to New Mexico in 1942, but Columbia scientists continued to work on it until its completion in 1945. Pupin Hall is also the site where the maser (precursor to the laser) was invented.

The peace altar, a gift of Professor and Mrs. William Theodore de Bary, commemorates those Columbians who have died in the service of their country. The altar was designed by George Nakashima, an MIT-trained Japanese American architect and sculptor who was interned during World War II along with many other Japanese Americans.

In August 1814, during the War of 1812, New Yorkers were warned to prepare to defend their city against a British attack. Columbia students and alumni traveled north from the campus, which at the time was located downtown near City Hall, to build fortifications across what would become the University's Morningside Campus. McGowan’s Pass and Fort Clinton, referred to on the plaque, were both located in what is today the northern end of Central Park, along West 110th Street. Fort Fish was near East 107th Street on the east side of Central Park.

A gift of the Class of 1899, the plaque commemorates John Purroy Mitchel, a Columbia alumnus who died in World War I after serving as the youngest mayor of New York from 1914 to 1917. Mitchel advocated universal military training, describing it as “the [only] truly democratic solution to the problem of preparedness on land.” After leaving office, he joined the U.S. Army and died at age thirty-eight in a training accident. The plaque was cast in 1919 by Jo Davidson, sometimes referred to as a “biographer in bronze” because of his many sculptures of world leaders and celebrated individuals.

Mantle dedicated to a group of Columbians, Class of 1915 who died in World War I.

On the east balustrade (left) of the short staircase approaching Butler Library, look below waist level and notice the plaque, a commemoration of the Midshipmen’s School, which operated on the Columbia campus during World War II. The Midshipmen’s School trained thousands of Naval officers for war service. Classes were held on the Columbia campus and in a ship docked at West 135th Street and the Hudson River. In all, it trained more than 20,000 officers.

The Butler Library War Memorial Plaque reads, “We remember with enduring gratitude those who attended the colleges and schools of Columbia University and lost their lives in the military service of our nation. As we celebrate their lives, let us honor them by guarding peace.”