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Columbia University sundial

November 03, 2023

The Class of 1885 Memorial Sundial is a landmark at Columbia University, located at the center of the College Walk at the other end of Butler Plaza from Butler Library. Designed by astronomy professor Harold Jacoby in conjunction with McKim, Mead & White, it was completed in 1914. The 16-short-ton (15 t) granite sphere that once sat on top of it, at some point considered the largest stone sphere in the world, was removed in 1946 after it began to crack; efforts have been made toward its recovery since it was rediscovered in Michigan in 2001. The sundial's bare platform now serves as a popular meeting area for students, as well as a center for campus politics.

Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca posing before the sundial as a student in 1929

History edit

Design and construction edit

 
The first dedication of the sundial in 1910

The sundial was originally topped with a 16-short-ton (15 t)[1] dark-green granite sphere, dubbed the "Sunball", which served as its gnomon. The stone was sourced from Mount Ascutney in Vermont,[2] from a quarry that was reportedly "well-loved by a group from the class of 1885".[3] The sphere was the third of its kind made, after the first two were rejected for having cracks.[4]

Originally planned by McKim, Mead & White to be purely ornamental, astronomy professor Harold Jacoby suggested that it be presented on behalf of the class of 1885 as a sundial, as a gift that would both be aesthetically pleasing as well as "possess a distinct educational value".[5] It was intended to be placed in the center of 116th Street, which at that point had not yet been sectioned off by the university, to serve as a "haven of rest" for students walking across campus;[6] after objections from the New York City government against placing a 7 ft (2.1 m) tall sphere in the middle of a busy street, it was moved to the side of the road in front of Butler Plaza, which was then the college's football field.[7]

 
Workers removing the Sunball, 1946

A plaster model of the sundial was presented to the university by the class of 1885 in June 1910 to mark its 25th anniversary, and construction on the actual monument began shortly thereafter.[2] It was completed and presented a second time on May 26, 1914.[8] In total, the installation cost around $10,000.[9] A contemporary university publication claimed that the Sunball was the largest stone sphere on Earth.[7]

Removal and rediscovery edit

A crack in the Sunball was discovered in 1944, which continued to grow until 1946, when the university found it too unsafe to remain. The university attempted to hold the sphere together, first by inserting a bronze rod into it and then with an "unsightly iron band",[4] before erecting a chicken-wire fence around the sundial and removing it altogether in December 1946.[3][10][11] At the time, it was reported to have been broken into pieces and sent to a stone yard in the Bronx.[11]

However, the Sunball was rediscovered intact in a field near Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2001; the owner of the field had inherited it from an unknown Columbia affiliate.[3][5] Efforts have been made by students to recover the Sunball, though concerns around costs as well as the wish to preserve the bare pedestal's role as a "free speech corner" on campus have prevented its return.[3][5]

 
Diego Rivera addresses protesters at the sundial, May 1933. Frida Kahlo was also present.[12]

The sundial has been noted as a meeting area for students, as well as a site of frequent protests.[10][11][13] Since the removal of the Sunball, its pedestal has become a popular location for protesting students to make speeches—so popular that, during the turbulent 1960s, the university banned for a period the use of microphones and amplifiers to address students at sundial rallies.[5][14] Notably, the Columbia University protests of 1968 began at the sundial, where Mark Rudd addressed several hundred students at a rally on April 23, 1968, before they marched up to Low Memorial Library and occupied Hamilton Hall.[15] In the early 1970s, the sundial was the site of frequent political effigy-burnings; victims included university presidents Andrew W. Cordier (1970)[16] and William J. McGill (1973),[17] Richard Nixon (1972, 1974),[18][19] and South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (1975).[20]

In addition to more recent protests, the sundial has also been used for candlelight vigils,[21] Shakespeare plays,[22] and several mock sacrifices of virgins.[23][24]

Design edit

 
The sundial in the early 20th century, before the gnomon was removed

The pedestal of the sundial is inscribed with the Latin phrase Horam Expecta Veniet ("wait for the hour and it will come").[11] The twelve brass inserts on the base, designed by alumnus William Ordway Partridge, represent the cycle of the day, and are named, respectively: "Torches of the Morning", "Increase of the Dawn", "Chanticleer", "Sun Rise", "Love Awakening", "Boiling the Pot", "Love Crowning the Hours", "Love at Play", "Love Tempers the Night Wind", "The Evening Star", "Love Piping to the Moon", and "Voices of the Night".[25]

The sundial was designed by Jacoby to show Eastern Standard Time (as opposed to local solar time, as most sundials did). Given the variations between standard and solar time, it was designed to indicate the time only once a day at noon, by noting either edge of the shadow cast by the gnomon on two brass plates on the pedestal that marked off the days of the year: given the date, one could calculate when noon would be, or, at noon, one could figure out the date. It was engineered by Jacoby to be accurate to within a fraction of a minute.[9] The strange functionality of the sundial was often a subject of student confusion; a 1932 article in the Columbia Daily Spectator quipped that the only way to actually tell the time using it was to "stand on the pedestal and look over at the clock between Hartley and Livingston [Wallach Hall]".[26]

References edit

  1. ^ Hond, Paul (2010). "All is Not Lost!". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Dial—Fellowship—Launch". Columbia Daily Spectator. June 1, 1910. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Appelbaum, Lauren (December 5, 2001). "Student on Quest for Sundial's Lost Ball". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Sphere Once Topped Sundial". Columbia Daily Spectator. October 22, 1963. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Boland, Ed (April 28, 2002). "F.Y.I." The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "Sundial Soon to Beautify Campus". Columbia Daily Spectator. April 16, 1910. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "The Sundial, 1914". Columbia College Today. 15 (3): 17. Spring 1968.
  8. ^ Robson, John William, ed. (1937). A Guide to Columbia University With Some Account of its History and Traditions. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 88. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Ware, Foster (September 1910). "Columbia University's Spherical Sundial". Popular Mechanics. 14 (3): 356.
  10. ^ a b "Crack Found in Sun-Dial". The New York Times. July 10, 1946. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "Columbia Junks Famous Sun Dial". The New York Times. December 20, 1946. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  12. ^ "When Diego and Frida Came to Columbia". blogs.cul.columbia.edu. September 15, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  13. ^ Lelyveld, Joseph (April 26, 1972). "Indecision Marks Sundial Debate". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  14. ^ "Proctor Demands SDS Not Employ Amplifiers at Rally". Columbia Daily Spectator. December 1, 1966. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  15. ^ Olson, James S. (April 19, 2018). The 1960s: Key Themes and Documents. ABC-CLIO. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-4408-6042-3.
  16. ^ Reinhart, Cyndi (February 24, 1970). "175 Burn Effigy of Cordier During Anti-Recruiting Rally". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  17. ^ Raab, David (September 14, 1973). "150 Campus Workers Occupy University Personnel Offices Protest Continues Through Night". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  18. ^ Briffault, Richard; Robinson, Gail (April 18, 1972). "1500 Protest Renewed Vietnam Bombing; President Rejects Moratorium Request". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  19. ^ "400 Watch Nixon Burned in Effigy". Columbia Daily Spectator. March 7, 1974. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  20. ^ Stern, Michelle (April 8, 1975). "Protesters Brawl on Campus at Anti-Recruitment Rally". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  21. ^ "We Do This in Remembrance ..." Columbia Daily Spectator. April 30, 2003. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  22. ^ Budnitz, Hannah (May 1, 1998). "Shakespeare Troupe Treads About Columbia". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  23. ^ Knobel, Beth (October 31, 1980). "300 enjoy 'sacrifice' on Sundial". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  24. ^ Fleiss, David (December 5, 1983). "Anti-porn feminists are pro-censorship". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  25. ^ An Official Guide to Columbia University. New York: Columbia University Press. 1912. p. 61.
  26. ^ "Nature of Sundial is Revealed Once Again; At Exactly Noon You Can Learn the Date". Columbia Daily Spectator. October 11, 1932. Retrieved June 27, 2022.

40°48′26.2″N 73°57′45.1″W / 40.807278°N 73.962528°W / 40.807278; -73.962528

November 03, 2023
columbia, university, sundial, class, 1885, memorial, sundial, landmark, columbia, university, located, center, college, walk, other, butler, plaza, from, butler, library, designed, astronomy, professor, harold, jacoby, conjunction, with, mckim, mead, white, c. The Class of 1885 Memorial Sundial is a landmark at Columbia University located at the center of the College Walk at the other end of Butler Plaza from Butler Library Designed by astronomy professor Harold Jacoby in conjunction with McKim Mead amp White it was completed in 1914 The 16 short ton 15 t granite sphere that once sat on top of it at some point considered the largest stone sphere in the world was removed in 1946 after it began to crack efforts have been made toward its recovery since it was rediscovered in Michigan in 2001 The sundial s bare platform now serves as a popular meeting area for students as well as a center for campus politics Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca posing before the sundial as a student in 1929 Contents 1 History 1 1 Design and construction 1 2 Removal and rediscovery 2 Design 3 ReferencesHistory editDesign and construction edit nbsp The first dedication of the sundial in 1910The sundial was originally topped with a 16 short ton 15 t 1 dark green granite sphere dubbed the Sunball which served as its gnomon The stone was sourced from Mount Ascutney in Vermont 2 from a quarry that was reportedly well loved by a group from the class of 1885 3 The sphere was the third of its kind made after the first two were rejected for having cracks 4 Originally planned by McKim Mead amp White to be purely ornamental astronomy professor Harold Jacoby suggested that it be presented on behalf of the class of 1885 as a sundial as a gift that would both be aesthetically pleasing as well as possess a distinct educational value 5 It was intended to be placed in the center of 116th Street which at that point had not yet been sectioned off by the university to serve as a haven of rest for students walking across campus 6 after objections from the New York City government against placing a 7 ft 2 1 m tall sphere in the middle of a busy street it was moved to the side of the road in front of Butler Plaza which was then the college s football field 7 nbsp Workers removing the Sunball 1946A plaster model of the sundial was presented to the university by the class of 1885 in June 1910 to mark its 25th anniversary and construction on the actual monument began shortly thereafter 2 It was completed and presented a second time on May 26 1914 8 In total the installation cost around 10 000 9 A contemporary university publication claimed that the Sunball was the largest stone sphere on Earth 7 Removal and rediscovery edit A crack in the Sunball was discovered in 1944 which continued to grow until 1946 when the university found it too unsafe to remain The university attempted to hold the sphere together first by inserting a bronze rod into it and then with an unsightly iron band 4 before erecting a chicken wire fence around the sundial and removing it altogether in December 1946 3 10 11 At the time it was reported to have been broken into pieces and sent to a stone yard in the Bronx 11 However the Sunball was rediscovered intact in a field near Ann Arbor Michigan in 2001 the owner of the field had inherited it from an unknown Columbia affiliate 3 5 Efforts have been made by students to recover the Sunball though concerns around costs as well as the wish to preserve the bare pedestal s role as a free speech corner on campus have prevented its return 3 5 nbsp Diego Rivera addresses protesters at the sundial May 1933 Frida Kahlo was also present 12 The sundial has been noted as a meeting area for students as well as a site of frequent protests 10 11 13 Since the removal of the Sunball its pedestal has become a popular location for protesting students to make speeches so popular that during the turbulent 1960s the university banned for a period the use of microphones and amplifiers to address students at sundial rallies 5 14 Notably the Columbia University protests of 1968 began at the sundial where Mark Rudd addressed several hundred students at a rally on April 23 1968 before they marched up to Low Memorial Library and occupied Hamilton Hall 15 In the early 1970s the sundial was the site of frequent political effigy burnings victims included university presidents Andrew W Cordier 1970 16 and William J McGill 1973 17 Richard Nixon 1972 1974 18 19 and South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu 1975 20 In addition to more recent protests the sundial has also been used for candlelight vigils 21 Shakespeare plays 22 and several mock sacrifices of virgins 23 24 Design edit nbsp The sundial in the early 20th century before the gnomon was removedThe pedestal of the sundial is inscribed with the Latin phrase Horam Expecta Veniet wait for the hour and it will come 11 The twelve brass inserts on the base designed by alumnus William Ordway Partridge represent the cycle of the day and are named respectively Torches of the Morning Increase of the Dawn Chanticleer Sun Rise Love Awakening Boiling the Pot Love Crowning the Hours Love at Play Love Tempers the Night Wind The Evening Star Love Piping to the Moon and Voices of the Night 25 The sundial was designed by Jacoby to show Eastern Standard Time as opposed to local solar time as most sundials did Given the variations between standard and solar time it was designed to indicate the time only once a day at noon by noting either edge of the shadow cast by the gnomon on two brass plates on the pedestal that marked off the days of the year given the date one could calculate when noon would be or at noon one could figure out the date It was engineered by Jacoby to be accurate to within a fraction of a minute 9 The strange functionality of the sundial was often a subject of student confusion a 1932 article in the Columbia Daily Spectator quipped that the only way to actually tell the time using it was to stand on the pedestal and look over at the clock between Hartley and Livingston Wallach Hall 26 References edit Hond Paul 2010 All is Not Lost Columbia Magazine Retrieved June 27 2022 a b Dial Fellowship Launch Columbia Daily Spectator June 1 1910 Retrieved June 25 2022 a b c d Appelbaum Lauren December 5 2001 Student on Quest for Sundial s Lost Ball Columbia Daily Spectator Retrieved June 24 2022 a b Sphere Once Topped Sundial Columbia Daily Spectator October 22 1963 Retrieved June 25 2022 a b c d Boland Ed April 28 2002 F Y I The New York Times Retrieved June 25 2022 Sundial Soon to Beautify Campus Columbia Daily Spectator April 16 1910 Retrieved June 25 2022 a b The Sundial 1914 Columbia College Today 15 3 17 Spring 1968 Robson John William ed 1937 A Guide to Columbia University With Some Account of its History and Traditions New York Columbia University Press p 88 Retrieved June 25 2022 a b Ware Foster September 1910 Columbia University s Spherical Sundial Popular Mechanics 14 3 356 a b Crack Found in Sun Dial The New York Times July 10 1946 Retrieved June 24 2022 a b c d Columbia Junks Famous Sun Dial The New York Times December 20 1946 Retrieved June 24 2022 When Diego and Frida Came to Columbia blogs cul columbia edu September 15 2022 Retrieved December 19 2022 Lelyveld Joseph April 26 1972 Indecision Marks Sundial Debate The New York Times Retrieved June 24 2022 Proctor Demands SDS Not Employ Amplifiers at Rally Columbia Daily Spectator December 1 1966 Retrieved June 27 2022 Olson James S April 19 2018 The 1960s Key Themes and Documents ABC CLIO p 50 ISBN 978 1 4408 6042 3 Reinhart Cyndi February 24 1970 175 Burn Effigy of Cordier During Anti Recruiting Rally Columbia Daily Spectator Retrieved June 27 2022 Raab David September 14 1973 150 Campus Workers Occupy University Personnel Offices Protest Continues Through Night Columbia Daily Spectator Retrieved June 27 2022 Briffault Richard Robinson Gail April 18 1972 1500 Protest Renewed Vietnam Bombing President Rejects Moratorium Request Columbia Daily Spectator Retrieved June 27 2022 400 Watch Nixon Burned in Effigy Columbia Daily Spectator March 7 1974 Retrieved June 27 2022 Stern Michelle April 8 1975 Protesters Brawl on Campus at Anti Recruitment Rally Columbia Daily Spectator Retrieved June 27 2022 We Do This in Remembrance Columbia Daily Spectator April 30 2003 Retrieved June 27 2022 Budnitz Hannah May 1 1998 Shakespeare Troupe Treads About Columbia Columbia Daily Spectator Retrieved June 27 2022 Knobel Beth October 31 1980 300 enjoy sacrifice on Sundial Columbia Daily Spectator Retrieved June 27 2022 Fleiss David December 5 1983 Anti porn feminists are pro censorship Columbia Daily Spectator Retrieved June 27 2022 An Official Guide to Columbia University New York Columbia University Press 1912 p 61 Nature of Sundial is Revealed Once Again At Exactly Noon You Can Learn the Date Columbia Daily Spectator October 11 1932 Retrieved June 27 2022 40 48 26 2 N 73 57 45 1 W 40 807278 N 73 962528 W 40 807278 73 962528 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Columbia University sundial amp oldid 1164121298, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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