Prentis Hall

Prentis Hall is a university building featuring a white glazed terracotta facade in French style with brick walls and steel frame construction. The structure combines historic architecture with modern studios and facilities for music, jazz studies, and visual arts.

The building was constructed between 1909 and 1911 as a milk processing facility for Sheffield Farms and acquired by Columbia University in 1949. The university adapted it first for engineering studies and later converted it for the arts and music programs.

The building now hosts artistic studios and music facilities where students create and perform daily. Its repurposed industrial space has become central to the creative work of the university's arts programs.

The building is accessible during school hours and contains art studios, music spaces, and classrooms spread across multiple floors. Visitors should expect some areas to be reserved for student work and recording sessions.

The building housed a Heat Transfer Research Facility during the Manhattan Project that tested nuclear reactor temperature thresholds. This military history remains largely hidden but represents a significant chapter in the location's past.

Location: Manhattanville

Inception: 1911

Architects: Frank A. Rooke

Part of: Columbia University

GPS coordinates: 40.81650,-73.95950

Latest update: December 10, 2025 20:07