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John Jay Hall

John Jay Hall is a 15-story building located on the southeastern extremity of the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in New York City, on the northwestern corner of 114th St. and Amsterdam Avenue. Named for Founding Father, The Federalist Papers author, diplomat, and first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court John Jay (Class of 1764), it was among the last buildings designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, which had provided Columbia's original Morningside Heights campus plan, and was finished in 1927.

John Jay Hall

Students Hall

511 West 114th Street, New York City, New York

1927

15

148,292 square feet

The building includes freshman housing for students of Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science; John Jay Dining Hall, the university's primary undergraduate dining facility; JJ's Place, an underground student quick service restaurant; the university's health services center; and an elegant wood-paneled lounge. Among its most prominent residents was the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca.


Unlike Carman Hall, the other exclusively freshman dormitory at Columbia, in which rooms are double-occupancy and arranged in clusters of two around a common bathroom as a suite, John Jay Hall's accommodations consist primarily of single rooms along narrow corridors, generally with three double-occupancy rooms per floor. Other dormitories housing undergraduate freshmen (but not exclusively so) include Wallach Hall, Hartley Hall, and Furnald Hall.

(1929–1930), Spanish poet, wrote that “my room in John Jay is wonderful. It is on the 12th floor of the dormitory, and I can see all the university buildings, the Hudson River and a distant vista of white and pink skyscrapers. On the right, spanning the horizon, is a great bridge under construction, of incredible grace and strength.”[7]

Federico García Lorca

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet; once reported that he was knocked cold by a bottle that was tossed in through an open John Jay window.

John Berryman

(2000–2001), actress, starred in Save the Last Dance and Mona Lisa Smile[8]

Julia Stiles

(2005–2006), actor, starred in Syriana and Art School Confidential[10]

Max Minghella

(2006–2007), actor, starred in Gladiator, Mystic River, and Unbreakable.

Spencer Treat Clark

(1998–1999), actor, known for his work in Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, and Nightcrawler.[11]

Jake Gyllenhaal

actor, known for his work in The Walk, Inception, Snowden[12][13]

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

American playwright and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2021[14]

Katori Hall

(1963–1968), rock group. Co-founders George Leonard (1963–1967) and Robert Leonard (1967–68), singer/composer Scott Simon (1966–67), and manager Ed Goodgold (1964–65) all resided in John Jay.

Sha Na Na

(1965–1966), Los Angeles Lakers star, replaced Elgin Baylor at forward, led Lakers to 33 game win streak and NBA championship (avg 19.1/ game in playoffs).

Jim McMillian

publisher of The New York Times[15]

Punch Sulzberger

American composer known for writing the song Santa Baby[15]

Philip Springer

Olympic swimmer and gold medalist[7]

Cristina Teuscher

American presidential advisor and Korea specialist[16]

Victor Cha

professor of women's and gender studies at University of Illinois Chicago[17]

John D'Emilio

writer, poet[18]

Fiona Sze-Lorrain

television writer[19]

Raamla Mohamed

journalist specializing in the Middle East[20]

Thomas Lippman

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and musician[21]

Tom Kitt

John Jay Hall at Columbia Housing

Photo Tour of John Jay Hall

, lecture by Professor Andrew S. Dolkart on October 5, 1999

Housing the Columbia Community

by Michael Foss, Columbia College Today, September 2005

Home on the Heights: 100 Years of Housing at Columbia

WikiCu: John Jay Hall