Scholars' Lion (2004)

Columbia University, 116th Street between Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue, Havemeyer Hall; sculptor Greg Wyatt

Last week, in a patriotic mood, I decided to make the pilgrimage up to Grant's Tomb. On the way, I got sidetracked in a good way first by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, then, since I was so close, Columbia University. Now, the campus at 116th & Broadway had always been on my statuary bucket list, since it's virtually a sculptors Hall of Fame, with major works by luminaries like Rodin, Daniel Chester French, Bartholdi, etc. 

I was surprised by the lack of security that allowed me to just waltz inside behind a pack of undergrads; I was expecting at least a guard checking IDs, given the cost of tuition per semester. But soon I was blending in with the student body, who were probably wondering what this gray-haired dude with the camera was doing there.

Anyway, I captured a few biggies like French's majestic Alma Mater on the library steps and a Thomas Jefferson by William Partridge. But the campus is quite large and spread out, so I left before really exploring its entirety, setting me up for a return hunt later this week.