Columbia University has an extensive
tunnel system connecting most buildings on campus and acting as
conduit for
steam,
electricity,
telecommunications, and other infrastructure. The oldest tunnels are from the
mental asylum that existed before the
Morningside Campus was built. These tunnels are small and extremely hot, and they connect to
Buell/La Maison Française, the one building remaining from the asylum. The steam tunnel system between
Hamilton,
Kent,
Philosophy, and
Fayerweather connects to these old tunnels.
Another
steam tunnel system connects
Mudd,
Uris,
Dodge Fitness Center, and
Havemeyer, and is generally considered the easiest to access. These tunnels contain old
rail tracks that were used to transport
coal for heating. They also contain the "Signature Room," where one can find many quotes and names left by previous tunnelers. As with all tunnels on campus, these contain many more secrets for students to discover. This tunnel system also used to connect to the first floor of
Pupin Hall, but that way was blocked in the 1990s.
Until the Summer of 2003, the first floor of Pupin was virtually untouched from the last days of the
Manhattan Project. Notes and daily logs scattered dusty tables. Half-completed experiments sat in stasis, only visible to the few explorers who got in. Since 2003, the first floor has been cleaned out, and is now mostly empty. This floor used to house one of the first
cyclotrons until...
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