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Fine view of Columbia University, drawn by Class of 1978 Alumnus Peter Mondello (School of General Studies).

The view shows Columbia in the foreground, viewed from the north.  As noted by Cinty Kaplan in her article about the view in the February 29, 1984 Barnard Bulletin, 

In a nutshell th[e] history of Coumbia appears on a new poster of the Columbia University Campus. Peter Mondello . . . spent a year working on the hand-drawn . . . poster. Mondello is a  visual artist who specializes in aerial and architectural photographs and mapping projects for real estate and engineering companies . . . 

"This is my own idea," said Mondello in a telephone interview.  "It's a venture on my part to see if, one--I can make Money and two-- if I could make an attractive piece in a classical old style pen and ink drawing. "Referring to the present map of Columbia, which is included in catalogs and on folders, Mondello called them "not very attractive."  That map depicts the campus in a one dimensional manner. Mondello's version, from an aerial photograph the he took, is three-dimensional and according to him "extremely accurate." 

* * *

In drawing the buildings, Mondello foound "drawing all those windows" tedious.  Another realistic characteristic of his poster is the meticulous representation of every statut from Alma Mater to Alexander Hamilton to Bellerophon Tamine Pegasus in front of the Law building.  

Some of the surrounding area is also represented.  I turned Harlem into a little forest to make it attractive.  Mondello said the poster . . . includes no people.  Mondello "originally toyed with the idea of drawing cars on Broadway and on campus" but decided it would look too cluttered.  . . . 

Mondello will be selling the poster for ten dollars and th same poster on parchmentr for fifteen dollars throug Alpha Phi sorority. . . . 

According to Melanie Levinson, Vice President of Alpha Phi, after being on sale for one week in theFerris Booth Hall Lobyy one hundred posters were sold.  However, sales have been discontinued until after Spring Break. . . . 

Mondello would appear to have gone on to obtain a master's degree in Biblical studies from the Dallas Theological Seminary.

Rarity

We have not been able to locate any surviving examples of the map.