C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y RECORD January 23, 2004 12

Barnard Develops Plans to Restore and Preserve Historic Buildings

BY SUZANNE TRIMEL

Apreservation and restora-tion plan is being devel-oped for four historic

buildings on the Barnard Collegecampus that were recently placedon the National Register of His-toric Places in recognition oftheir architectural distinction andsignificance for women’sprogress in higher education.

The historic designation by theNew York State Office of Parks,Recreation and Historic Preser-vation Bureau was made inDecember for Barnard, Brooks,Hewitt and Milbank halls, whichform the historic heart of theBarnard campus.

These buildings, designed byrenowned architects CharlesRich, Arnold Brunner andMcKim, Mead and White, are thefocus of an historic preservationplan being developed by Barnardwith a $220,000 grant from theGetty Grant Program. The plan isthe first step in a process that willallow Barnard to preserve theearliest buildings on its campus:Milbank Hall, built in 1897, fol-lowed by Brooks Hall in 1906,Barnard Hall in 1917 and HewittHall in 1924. Properties on theNational Register are provided ameasure of protection because oftheir architectural importanceand are eligible for state historicpreservation matching grants.

Commenting on the historicdesignation, Barnard PresidentJudith Shapiro said: “This is awonderful honor that highlightsthe beautiful and distinctivearchitecture of our campus.Most important, it recognizes thecreative thinkers and visionaryleaders among Barnard alumnaewhose achievements have beennurtured on our campus over thegenerations. As a community ofscholars, we take great pride inthe knowledge that the Barnardgates on Broadway opened morethan a century ago as the firstsecular college for women inNew York City. We are honoredto have our campus designated asa place that has helped to shapeso many remarkable women.”

The preservation plan is beingprepared by Paul Byard of PlattByard Dovell White, which hasworked on major conservationand preservation projects in NewYork, including one for Carnegie

Hall. The principal consultantfor the preservation master planis Columbia Professor AndrewDolkart, an architectural histori-an and author of the noted book,Morningside Heights: A Historyof its Architecture and Develop-ment, which includes a chapterdedicated to the early architectur-al development of Barnard.

“Barnard’s campus comple-ments that of Columbia acrossBroadway and contributes to theimpressive institutional struc-tures on Morningside Heights.By preserving these historicbuildings, we can provide avenue for the study of historicissues, including the college’sgrowth and identity from itsmodest beginnings to a distin-guished academic institution,”Shapiro said.

The preservation plan will aug-ment Barnard’s newly createdCampus Master Plan, which wasfinalized in 2003 and will gener-ate 100,000 square feet of new orrenovated space on the campus.A new seven-story buildingdesigned by Weiss/ManfrediArchitects will be the centerpieceof the plan, bringing togetherunder one roof academic, socialand research activities, includingthe library, a dining area, anevent space and seminar, meetingand study areas. Work is to beginin 2005.

Individual preservation andrestoration plans will be devel-oped for each of the four build-ings. Over the years, the build-ings’ original designs have beencompromised by the college’sneed for space, and by heavy use,the impact from weather and pol-lution, poor maintenance, func-tional alterations and other cam-pus developments.

Barnard was established in1889 with a few classes given ina former row house on Madison

Avenue, close to Columbia’sMidtown campus. When Colum-bia announced its move to Morn-ingside Heights, Barnard pur-chased a small block of land, onwhich Milbank Hall was built in1897. Designed by Charles A.Rich, one of the best-knownNew York architects in the late19th and early 20th century, Mil-bank was a sophisticated, four-story, U-shaped complex withstrong symmetry.

To keep with Columbia’sarchitectural theme, Rich adapt-ed its plan, design and materialsfrom Charles McKim’s Colum-bia design.

Built in 1906, Brooks Hall,also designed by Rich, was thefirst part of Rich’s master plan toexpand the College’s campus to116th Street. Brooks features ele-gant public rooms on the firstfloor. Hewitt Hall was the nextaddition, built in 1924. It wasdesigned by McKim, Mead &White, and also included beauti-ful interior public spaces, manyof which still exist.

Barnard Hall, designed by aleading early 20th-century archi-tect, Arnold Brunner, was built in1917. It is the best preserved ofthe historic buildings, where sig-nificant efforts have been madeto restore the entrance area andthe major north-south hallway, aswell as the historic gymnasium.

Barnard’s Milbank Hall, which was designed by Charles A. Rich, was built in 1897.

Above: Barnard Hall. Below: Brooks Hall and Hewitt Hall.

McShane Appointed Assistant VP of Public SafetyJim McShane recently joined

Columbia University as theassistant vice president of Pub-lic Safety. McShane joins theUniversity from the New YorkCity Police Department, wherehe attained the rank of deputychief and held a variety of posi-tions for 24 years. His mostrecent assignment was as theexecutive officer of the Nar-cotics Division.

McShane is also a FulbrightScholar, with a master’s degreein public administration from theKennedy School of Governmentat Harvard University and a jurisdoctor from the St. John’s Uni-versity School of Law.

The mantra that has stuck withMcShane throughout the yearsand one that he is bringing to

Columbia is “pride, profession-alism and service.” He elaborat-ed: “Pride, in the work that wedo; professionalism, the way wedo what we do; and service, whatwe provide to the Columbiacommunity.

“I am looking to meet with lotsof people and to do a great dealof listening,” said McShane. “Ibring a certain set of skills frommy experiences in the past, but inmany ways I am a novice, and Iwant to learn from the expertsaround here across the campus.If we involve people on campusin the concept of being safe bytaking some responsibility fortheir own safety as well, it willhelp us all be safe. The moreeyes and ears we have, the betteroff we are.”

‘We are honored to haveour campus designatedas a place that hashelped to shape so manyremarkable women.’

-Barnard PresidentJudith Shapiro

Jim McShane

PHOTOS BY EILEEN BARROSO

PHOTO BY EILEEN BARROSO

PHOTO BY EILEEN BARROSO

In the holiday spirit, staff from the University libraries collect-ed more than 200 books to donate to Columbia neighborhoodlibraries. From left are Christopher Grygo, Sandy Helling andJim Neal.