A grand Gothic cathedral. That’s what it felt like. The Campus Center. Not just a building. A testament to dreams realized. Here we stand before a legacy. A story etched in stone.
The Campus Center wasn’t always here. It began in downtown Manhattan. The Free Academy. A Gothic Revival marvel designed by James Renwick Jr. The first of its kind on the East Coast. It served as the home of City College from 1849 to 1907.
Then a grand relocation. Up to Manhattanville in 1906. This time George Browne Post crafted the design. Neo-Gothic architecture. A breathtaking campus. The original buildings stand as a testament to the English Perpendicular Gothic style. A true marvel.
Shepard Hall. The heart of the campus. It was huge. Modeled after a Gothic cathedral. It held the “Great Hall.” A breathtaking assembly space. Imagine the lectures the echoes the sounds of learning.
Harris Hall. The Sub-Freshman Building. It housed the preparatory high school. Then it moved downtown. Wingate Hall. The main gymnasium. A hub for athletic endeavors. Baskerville Hall. Home to the Chemistry Department. Its Doremus lecture hall. It was one of the largest.
Compton Hall. The Mechanical Arts Building. Goethals Hall. Completed in 1930. Named after George Goethals. The Panama Canal engineer. A CCNY alumnus. Six hundred grotesques adorn the original buildings. Representing the arts and sciences.
President John H. Finley dreamed of a stadium. Lewisohn Stadium. It was built. A 6000 seat stadium. Thousands more for concerts. A gift from Adolph Lewisohn. Dedicated in 1915. “The Trojan Women” marked the grand opening.
A library came later. Bowker/Alumni Library. Then Cohen Library. It was a new building. It stands near 135th street. It’s now part of the North Academic Center. A hub of learning.
The campus expanded. Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. It added a south campus. Buildings were renamed. Finley Student Center. It was active. Buttenweiser Lounge. A gathering place.
The North Academic Center. A modern addition. It houses classrooms. Cafeterias. The Cohen Library. Student lounges. It replaced Lewisohn Stadium. Klapper Hall was demolished to make way for the new structure.
The Campus Center. It stands as a vital part of this rich history. A place of learning. Of growth. A place where dreams are pursued. A building. A legacy. A story. Our story.