College Walk Comes Down to One Clause in a 1953 Deed

"Free and unhampered access." Those four words come from the April 1, 1953 agreement that sold the city-owned block of West 116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue to Columbia's trustees for $1,000, so the university could build a "pedestrian walk." The phrase has a specific scope. In the agreement, the city kept an easement "for the maintenance, repair and relocation, if necessary, of the presently existing City facilities," and the free and unhampered access went to city departments with facilities on the street, such as the fire department.

Seventy-three years later, the question of whether anyone without a Columbia ID can walk from Broadway to Amsterdam on 116th Street depends on how a New York Supreme Court judge reads that clause. As of October 10, 2026, the gates are still closed to the general public. Getting through depends on a free neighbor pass and a gate schedule set by the university.

What the city filed, and what the judge said about it

The shift came in stages over September. The Mamdani administration changed the city's position in a September 3 filing and said at a September 16 court appearance that it wanted to be dismissed from the case. On Tuesday, September 29, it filed a stipulation in New York Supreme Court. The filing said the city intends to take "prompt" legal action against Columbia if College Walk is not "immediately" opened to the public. Under the same agreement, the city, the mayor and the police commissioner were dropped from the class action that Morningside Heights residents filed against Columbia in early 2025.

The city's argument fits in one sentence of the stipulation:

The 1953 agreement "does not specify that the pedestrian walkway was intended to be used for Columbia University students, faculty, staff, and authorized guests only."

That reverses the position the city took under the previous administration, whose motion to dismiss described the College Walk easement as being for "municipal purposes and services only." Columbia argues that the agreement grants no public easement over the walk. A university spokesperson told the Columbia Spectator that "as the property owner, Columbia has the legal right and responsibility to manage access to College Walk."

At the September 30 hearing, the judge focused on the gap between those two positions. Judge David Cohen said he had expected the stipulation to "have some articulation of the legal grounds for the city's change of position," and added, "I don't see that in this stipulation." Joseph Greenaway, the lawyer representing Columbia, framed the case narrowly: "Our entire argument on either side is whether there's a public easement."

The city's stipulation addresses who the walkway was meant for. Columbia's argument rests on whether the deed ever created a public right of way. The court has not yet put those two readings side by side.

Why the case is in a holding pattern

Toby Golick, the residents' lawyer, asked the court to dismiss the existing case so she could "likely" file a new one, citing how much had changed since it began. Because Cohen had not yet ruled on Columbia's motion to dismiss, she needs the court's permission to withdraw. Cohen said he would wait for a formal motion or for Columbia's agreement. Columbia took no position.

So the court record has no ruling, and the city's threatened lawsuit has no calendar date attached. Asked at an October 1 press conference what "immediately" meant, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, "As to the definition of immediate, I would say it speaks for itself."

On Columbia's side, the timeline runs through a committee. In September, University President Jennifer Mnookin relaunched a campus access advisory committee of about 20 members, including staff, students and community residents. She has said she hopes to receive a final or interim report from it before the end of the semester. She has not given a date for wider access. At an alumni reception reported October 8, she again said she wants to increase campus access.

The kiosk behind the gate

The most visible change this month is the Access Service Kiosk, a temporary information booth Columbia unveiled on Thursday, October 1. It sits behind the 116th Street and Broadway gates. Mnookin first announced it in a September 7 email, saying it would be staffed by "a welcome team member" and was "intended to address immediate concerns" about access. On opening day, the Spectator counted two kiosk staff inside and three Public Safety officers outside directing people toward it. The university did not say how long the kiosk will stay.

Dave Robinson, president of the Morningside Heights Community Coalition, said he learned about the kiosk through faculty and student contacts, and that the announcement "wasn't sent to neighbors, it wasn't directed to neighbors."

How the neighbor pass actually works

For now, a resident who wants to cross campus has one route, the free neighbor access program. As of early October 2026, Mnookin said about 1,200 people had obtained neighborhood access passes.

Columbia's neighbor access page lists an eligibility zone of 103rd to 135th Streets, from Riverside Drive east to Convent Avenue, Morningside Drive and Columbus Avenue. The university says the boundary may change. The process has three steps:

1. Submit a short request form. When the program launched publicly in October 2025, the form asked for name, address, email and reason for access.
2. Receive instructions on access requirements, including arranging a campus visit to show identification.
3. Receive an ongoing QR code, which Columbia Public Safety describes as free.

Columbia also says guest access can be suspended or revoked for safety, operational or special-event reasons.

The pass gets you onto campus, but only at certain gates and certain hours. Columbia Public Safety currently lists the campus at access level "I," ID Only, meaning open to active ID holders and approved guests. Here is how its posted entrances break down for QR code holders:

In practice, a pass holder can cross straight along the old 116th Street line at any hour, through the Broadway and Amsterdam gates or Wien Gate. The dedicated QR line at Broadway and Earl Gate operate only weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The 114th and 115th Street gates on Broadway don't accept the pass at all. In 2025, the Spectator also reported that neighbor QR codes did not work at the Northwest Corner Building entrance.

Guests of Columbia affiliates have a separate route. Under the September 7 changes, faculty can bring up to 24 same-day guests and staff and students up to five. Accompanied children under 12 do not need their own QR code. These changes widened guest access but did not reopen the walk to the public. Robinson's response at the time was that "for those of us on the outside … nothing has changed."

Three years of a closed block

Columbia first closed its gates to non-affiliates on October 12, 2023, ahead of planned protests. The gates stayed largely open through that school year. They have been closed since spring 2024, except for a brief period in summer 2024. The third anniversary of the first closure falls this Monday, October 12.

Pressure from the neighborhood has kept pace. The Morningside Heights Community Coalition held its fifth "Open the Gates" rally on September 8. The Spectator reported more than 100 attendees, and West Side Rag estimated about 250. Community Board 9 chair Victor Edward spoke at the rally.

Upcoming dates

A few dates are confirmed, and a few will only be set once someone files.

• October 15: Community Board 9's General Board meeting, per the CB9 calendar. The listing does not name College Walk as an agenda item.
• Not yet scheduled: a motion by Golick to dismiss and refile the residents' case, which would let Judge Cohen rule on withdrawal.
• Not yet scheduled: the city's own lawsuit, which the stipulation calls "prompt" but which has no filing date.
• By semester's end, if Columbia's hopes hold: a final or interim report from the campus access advisory committee.

Until one of those changes things, Columbia's Public Safety access page posts the current campus status level. Today it reads "I," ID Only.

At The Bracha Group, we follow how land agreements and access rules shape the blocks around a property, because those details affect value long after a closing. If you own near Columbia or are considering a move to Morningside Heights and want to talk through how the College Walk question bears on your plans, we would welcome the conversation. Work With Us.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.