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SCHILLER COURT AT LEVIEN GYMNASIUM
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QUICK FACTS
Official Name: Jonathan Schiller Court in Francis S. Levien Gymnasium
Date Opened: December 1974
Seating Capacity: 2,700
Surface/Structure: Hardwood floor
Location: Dodge Fitness Center, Morningside Heights campus, Columbia University
Original Cost: $13 million as part of Dodge Fitness Center in 1974
Named For: Francis S. Levien ‘26CC, ‘28LAW, Jonathan Schiller '69CC, '73LAW
Address: 3030 Broadway, Mail Code 1900, New York, N.Y. 10027
First Men’s Basketball Game: December 1, 1974, vs. CCNY
First Volleyball Match: Fall 1983
First Women’s Basketball Game: November 20, 1984
Schiller Court Dedication: February 22, 2020
THE FACILITY
Home to Columbia's men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball teams, Jonathan Schiller Court in Francis S. Levien Gymnasium (pronounced Leh-Vee-EN) at Dodge Fitness Center opened at the start of the 1974 season. With a seating capacity of 2,700 and a 15,000-square foot practice space, Levien Gym is one of the larger facilities in the Ivy League.
In the summer of 2014, a brand new state-of-the-art playing surface was laid down at Levien Gym with refreshed coloring and updated marks. Prior to the 2008-09 season, Levien was further upgraded with brand-new sideline panels, promoting Columbia Athletics' corporate sponsors.
In recent years, Levien Gym has drawn some of the largest basketball crowds in the school’s history. On December 5, 2018, 2,602 fans packed Levien to watch the women's basketball team take on Cal State Fullerton for the program’s annual New York City School Day. It was the largest crowd ever to watch a Columbia women's basketball game.
Since January 2010, Columbia’s men's basketball team has played to 15 sold out, standing room only crowds.
The Columbia landmark also hosted a piece of history during the 2015-16 campaign, when the Lion men’s team became just the second Ivy League squad to win a postseason championship after claiming the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament title in front of 2,703 spectators. The Lions also set a program record for home wins, securing 18 victories on their home floor that season and have posted winning seasons in 12 of their last 13 seasons in Morningside Heights.
As part of the Marcellus Hartley Dodge Physical Fitness Center, Levien Gymnasium replaced University Gymnasium as the home of Columbia Basketball in 1974.
The venue is named after New York lawyer-industrialist Francis S. Levien ‘26CC, ‘28LAW (1905-95), who specialized in the creation of corporate conglomerates. A Columbia graduate, Levien contributed $1 million toward the building of the gymnasium that bears his name.
The court is named for Jonathan Schiller '69CC, '73LAW, who is a three-year letterwinner for the Columbia men's basketball team, Schiller was a member of the 1967-68 Ivy League men's basketball championship team, ranked fifth in the country, which was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2006. Schiller was a frontcourt player who competed alongside future NBA players Jim McMillian and Dave Newmark under Columbia Hall of Fame head coach Jack Rohan. Schiller went on to become a much-honored lawyer. More information on Schiller is posted at this link.
FRANCIS S. LEVIEN GYMNASIUM AMENITIES
- Competition home to Columbia’s men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams.
- Multi-purpose hardwood floor gymnasium featuring three NCAA regulation basketball courts.
- 2,700 chairback and bleacher seats for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball.
- Configurable for other sports including indoor soccer and other activities.
- Coaching staff offices for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball
- Training Facilities
- Lou Gehrig Lounge meeting room
- Columbia Athletic Training Room
- Columbia Equipment Room
- Aldo T. “Buff” Donelli Strength and Conditioning Room
- Locker Room facilities
- Access to Dodge Fitness Center (coaches’ offices)
