Wallach Hall is the second oldest residence hall (or dormitory) on the campus of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and currently houses undergraduate students from Columbia College as well as the

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. It opened in 1905 as "Livingston Hall" after Robert Livingston, a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the war for independence from Great Britai ...

and alumnus of King's College, Columbia's predecessor, but its name was changed after Ira D. Wallach donated approximately $2 million towards its renovation. This gave rise to the joke, "Livingston signed the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

, Wallach signed a check." (Although a member of the committee of the Continental Congress that drafted the Declaration, Livingston did not actually sign the historic document.) The building was home, among others, to

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served a ...

, an Indian jurist, political leader, philosopher, anthropologist, historian, orator, prolific writer, economist, scholar, editor, a revolutionary and one of the founding fathers of independent India. Ambedkar received a Baroda State Scholarship of 11.50 British pounds per month for three years in 1913 to join the Politics Department of Columbia University as a postgraduate student. Wallach Hall was also home to Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. In his autobiography ''

Vanity of Duluoz ''Vanity of Duluoz: An Adventurous Education, 1935–46'' is a 1968 semi-autobiographical novel by Jack Kerouac. The book describes the adventures of Kerouac's alter ego, Jack Duluoz, covering the period of his life between 1935 and 1946. The boo ...

'' he expressed his satisfaction with the move from neighboring Hartley Hall:

One great move I made was to switch my dormitory room from Hartley Hall to Livingston Hall where there were no cockroaches and where b'God I had a room all to myself, on the second floor, overlooking the beautiful trees and walkways of the campus and overlooking, to my greatest delight, besides the Van Am Quadrangle, the library itself, the new one, with its stone frieze running around entire with the names engraved in stone forever: "
Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...
...
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...
...
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...
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...
Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...
." That was more like it. Lighting my fragrant pipe at 8 P.M., I'd open the pages of my homework, turn on station WQXR for the continual classical music, and sit there, in the golden glow of my lamp, in a sweater, sight and say, "Well, now I'm a real collegian at last."

Overhauled during the early 1980s, Wallach is currently, with Hartley, part of the Living and Learning Center (LLC), home to suite-style housing that intermingles all class levels and features interactive events designed to draw them together. An application process is required to obtain housing in either of the LLC dormitories.

Notable residents

* Robert Mountsier, author, journalist and literary agent * Jacques Barzun, professor, recipient of the

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, Olympic rugby sevens player *

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, film critic * Jack Kerouac, Beat Generation author *

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, former New York City Schools Chancellor *

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, Pulitzer Prize-winning professor of history * Janice Min, head of ''

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'', ''

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'' and '' Billboard'' * Melvin I. Urofsky, American historian * Nico Muhly, American music composer *

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, American writer, journalist *

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, American architect, former dean of the Yale School of Architecture *

Jason Epstein Jason Wolkow Epstein (August 25, 1928 – February 4, 2022) was an American editor and publisher. He was the editorial director of Random House from 1976 to 1995. He also co-founded ''The New York Review of Books'' in 1963. Early life Epstein ...

, publisher, co-founder of ''

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'' * Hal Chase, archeologist, member of the Beat Generation * John Giorno, poet, ex-lover of

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References

External links

Wallach Hall at Columbia Housing
*

', lecture by Professor Andrew S. Dolkart on October 5, 1999 *
Home on the Heights: 100 Years of Housing at Columbia
' by Michael Foss, ''Columbia College Today'', September 2005 {{Columbia University University and college dormitories in the United States Columbia University dormitories