Tag: Archives

From the Archives: The Lost Murals of the Main Lounge

Written by International House on October 9, 2025. Posted in Archive.

A few weeks ago, I started a new role as the 2025-26 Archives Fellow at International House. I was sorting through boxes of photographs when one made me pause. I recognized the Main Lounge. It was familiar, yet not. Just above the fireplace, and on either side of the mantelpiece, were murals I had never seen before. I saw that tall, allegorical figures once adorned the walls. Their presence was striking, but their disappearance left me wondering what happened. That single image allowed me to uncover the story behind the murals that once defined the Main Lounge. In 1925, American...

From Nairobi to New York: My Grandparents’ I-House Experience

Written by International House on February 28, 2025. Posted in Alumni News.

Toronto-based writer and freelance journalist Vikram Nijhawan ’24 lived at International House while at Columbia School of Journalism. When he moved into I-House in 2023, Vikram contacted the alumni office for any information about his grandparents, who lived at the House as a young married couple. His grandfather’s original application was found, and he offered to write the following article, during I-House’s centennial year, about his grandparents’ experience. My grandparents arrived at the International House as newly-weds in 1962, from Nairobi, Kenya. My grandfather, Inderjeet...

From the Archives: International House Opens

Written by International House on October 23, 2024. Posted in Archive.

Reprint fromTHE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1924. INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OPENS DOORS TO FOREIGN STUDENTS New Building on Riverside Drive the Home of Men and Women From All Corners of the World — Its Unique Features INTERNATIONAL HOUSE will open its doors tomorrow, thus beginning a new chapter in the story of international fellowship. The gray mass of brick and stone that for months has been rearing itself on Riverside Drive opposite Grant’s Tomb is now complete, topped with twin towers. The day before registration begins at Columbia University, only a few blocks away...

Sharing the I-House Resident Directories

Written by International House on May 28, 2024. Posted in News.

Starting in 1923, I-House produced an annual directory for residents. Over the decades, these publications took a variety of forms, from helpful guidebooks with information on where to find a decent tailor to yearbook-style collections that showcased the events of the previous academic year to address books that encouraged residents to stay in touch with one another once they left I-House. Whatever form they took, the publications celebrated the life of I-House and helped residents and alumni sustain lifelong friendships and connections. In the welcome note to the...

From the Archives: Early Chinese Residents

Written by International House on May 4, 2023. Posted in Archive.

When the Donald L. Cuneo Hall of History opened last October, resident Peng Guan – a cellist studying at Manhattan School of Music – took note of photo of a large group of Chinese residents pictured with Harry and Florence Edmonds on the front steps of International House in 1925.

Remembering 9/11 in the Archives

Written by International House on September 7, 2021. Posted in News Archive.

September 11, 2001, is a date that defines and divides our history into a “before” and an “after.” It undoubtedly tragically and permanently altered the course of millions of lives and irrevocably changed how we think about ourselves and others. As we approach the 20th anniversary of what remains the deadliest act of terrorism in American history, we have an opportunity to look back, remember, and reflect. First Sunday Supper at International House, 1925 / I-House Archives Every year for the past 97 years, International House has welcomed tens of thousands of individuals from over 145...

Candlelight Sunday Supper in the Archives

Written by International House on May 4, 2021. Posted in News Archive.

First Candlelight Sunday Supper at International House, 1925 / I-House Archives The Candlelight Sunday Supper at the end of each year is one of the most memorable moments of the I-House experience that ceremonially closes a period of sharing stories and knowledge with friends from many parts of the world. World Council of Alumni at 50th Anniversary Candlelight Sunday Supper dinner, 1974 / I-House Archives The idea began with International House founder Florence Edmonds. In the Spring of 1913, Florence was the chairman of the Bronx YWCA membership committee and had completed the most...