Columbia University Computing History   

The Columbia University Computer Center Building

Columbia U Computer Center entrance
Columbia University Computer Center entrance; photo: Bob Resnikoff.
The entrance to the underground Columbia University Computer Center building in 1982. You can't see the building, only the door. Also not visible in the photo are the words "Computer Center" chiseled on the small rectangular wall facing the viewer. Enter the door, go down one flight of steps to the 2-Level, find the machine room. Go down another flight to the 1-Level and this was the location of the former SSIO area, now offices. The new Gym entrance is on the left; Pupin Hall and Teachers College in the background, Uris Hall (the Business School) on the right (all the windows are part of Uris Hall; the Computer Center has no windows). In 1963 when the Computer Center building was new, there was no new Gym and Pupin had a grand front lawn with ancient spreading shade trees, similar to the ones in front of Math today.

When the IBM 360 mainframes were installed in 1967-69, the entrance and much of the interior were demolished to make way for them.

Columbia University Computing History Frank da Cruz / fdc@columbia.edu This page created: January 2001 Last update: 31 March 2021