TC Campus: Then and Now

Getting to know the buildings Getting to know the buildings and students of Teachers and students of Teachers

CollegeCollege

The Buildings.

• The original buildings of the TC campus were designed by architect and former TC board member, William Potter. The style he chose for the school was “Secular Gothic” or “Collegiate Gothic”

• Construction began in 1892 with Main Hall• TC commissioned several different

architects and architectural firms to design each of the buildings

The Buildings.

• Macy Hall• Milbank Chapel• Horace Mann Hall• Thompson Hall• Whittier Hall• Grace Dodge Hall• Russell Hall• Thorndike Hall

Macy Hall.

• Opened in 1894• Designed by William Potter• Originally known as “Main

Hall” or “Macy Manual Arts Building,” Macy Hall was named after V. Everit Macy, a man who had a passion for teaching woodcarving to underprivileged young men. Its intended use included a space for art education and instruction.

Forge shop in the School of Industrial Arts

Milbank Chapel. • Opened in 1897• Designed by William Potter• Originally named Milbank Hall,

it is now known as Zankel Hall. The chapel retains the Milbank name, however.

• The funds were donated by Joseph Milbank who stipulated that there be a chapel in the hall, a memorial to his parents.

• The decorations in the chapel include stenciling by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company and 5 stained glass windows at the rear of the room representing science, art, literature, the Old Testament, and the New Testament.

Horace Mann Hall.

• Opened in 1901• Designed

collaboratively by Howells & Stokes and Edgar A. Josselyn

• Originally intended to be a home for the Horace Mann School. Now serves as a space for offices, classrooms, and music rooms

Girls Basketball Team On The Stairs Of Horace Mann Building (1896).

Thompson Hall.

• Dedicated in 1905• Designed by Parish & Schroeder • Contained a gymnasium, swimming pool, handball

courts, bowling alleys, exercise rooms, locker and shower rooms. The space was used to teach and train those interested in becoming physical education teachers.

• Building a gym on campus was significant given that women had been forbidden to use the gym at Columbia University. Dean Russell foresaw a need to train physical education teachers and realized that this required an adequate space.

• Thompson still has its original swimming pool. Though it has undergone significant renovations, it retains its original style.

Thompson Hall.

June 2009, after undergoing $1 Million in renovations

TC Aquatic Center in 1900

Whittier Hall.

• Opened in 1901• Designed by Bruce Price in

Association with J.M.A. Darragh

• This dorm opened in response to a lack of housing for the young women attending TC. Here they were under the watchful eyes of chaperones. At one point, the NY Times declared Whittier Hall as a “beehive of single femininity.”

Grace Dodge Hall.

• Opened in 1909• Designed by Parish & Schroeder• GDH was originally known as the Household Arts Building. It

was here that young women learned laundry management, cooking, interior decorating, “housewifery,” home nursing, and other domestic arts.

Drafting and Garment Making in Grace Dodge Hall circa 1900s

Russell Hall.

• Opened in 1924• Designed by Allen & Collens• This building is one of, if not

the, most recognizable on the TC campus thanks to its eye-catching tower topped with an appealing turret. It was built in response to overcrowding at the college and currently offers five floors dedicated to library collections, reading rooms, classrooms, and offices.

Thorndike Hall.

• Opened in 1973• Designed by Hugh Stubbins and Associates of Boston• This was the last building on the campus to be built. It

currently houses classrooms, offices, and a counseling center. It was named after TC professor of educational psychology, Edward Thorndike.

The Center for Educational and Psychological Services, located in Thorndike Hall

The Students.

Pictured: Students in a catering class circa 1916

The Students.

• When TC first opened, it was an undergraduate institution with 18 students.

• By the late 1920s, TC was predominately a graduate professional school.

Girls Baseball team circa 1919

The Students.

• In the TC students paid $60 for tuition and room, board, and laundry were $350 a year. 

• Today, the cost per credit is $1,127

The Students.

• Athletics, theater arts, and religion all played major roles in the early years of TC's development up until the late 1920s.

• Wanting to promote a sense of (comm)unity, the Student Club formed. This was initially a social club but eventually morphed into a student government. This progression into more professional forays from social clubs became the norm as less emphasis was placed on social unity. 

From the Teachers College yearbook, 1919

The Students.

TC grads in 1919…

… and in 2008(photo credit given to Ryan Brenizer)

The Students.

• Current Student Demographics (2008-2009)– ~5,000 students enrolled at TC– 77% women, 23% men– 11% Asian American, 9% African American,

6%Latino/a– 12% international students from 80 different

countries, 88% domestic from all 50 states– New Students=1,332– Total Enrolled=5,117– Avg. Student Age=31

The Students.

• There are now approximately 30 active student-run organizations on the Teachers College campus. In addition to the Student Senate, which advocates for students in the TC community, there are a number of affinity groups (e.g. Teachers College Taiwanese Club, Queer TC), as well as academic organizations (e.g. Society for Economics and Education, Organizational Leadership Association), and just plain fun (e.g. TC Recreational Soccer Club). The range of student organizations undoubtedly represents the diversity of the current student body.