As mentioned by a poster on Jake's site, there are all sorts of urban legends about Bobst Library and suicide. As every NYU student has been told, the marble pattern on the floor and the cross-shaped railings are supposed to discourage jumpers. I always thought it was a lot of crap, but I can attest to the fact that when you look down for those upper-upper reaches, it's really scary and even non-heights averse people experience intense vertigo.

Yes! I was told the same thing when I went to NYU (I think it was on a tour of Bobst). The power of suggestion... after being told that, I would every once in a while notice the crosses. I always wondered what was supposed to deter Jewish or Hindu or atheist jumpers, why the Catholic bias.

Also, why design and build a college library (for stressed-out, sleep-deprived students) that would be ideal for suicide in the first place? Why have that atrium? It doesn't really add anything to the building. (For those who prefer ODing, there are isolated, soundproof study booths on the lower levels.)

And regarding the whole design in general, while the atrium is pretty architecturally stunning, they could have fit about 4 times as many books if they had actually made it a *real* building on the inside ;)

I think everyone who went to NYU has heard the spikes story. I worked at their student newspaper when I was there, and that's a topic that came up time, and time again. I would guess that if it's true, it serves mainly to make people reconsider their options.

I can speak to the point of having that huge atrium though. I now work at Ohio State, and one of the worst problems they have with their main library is safety. Bobst's open floor plan may allow for less book space (although some might debate that, you can do creative things to house books), but I think that it does create a safer and more open atmosphere. The last thing you want is an extremely creepy guy following you through some wretchedly lighted books stacks that time forgot. I always felt safe at Bobst.

Well, I just got a form email from John Sexton, the NYU president. Glass enclosures for the balcony are on their way: 'NYU is a research university, and Bobst Library has served this campus for over 30 years as our "house of knowledge." Until these deaths, the Library had never known such a tragedy. Aggressive measures must be taken to protect us against such traumas. Accordingly, we will have a greater presence of security officers in the Library, and we will restrict access to the internal balconies over the course of the next few weeks while we install tall glass panels. There will be inconvenience to all of us who use the Library during the construction period. I ask that you be patient. We need to reassert for the Library the central role it fulfills in this community of scholars. None of us will ever forget the events of this fall ^ nor should we ^ but, with time, neither should we permit our thoughts to be dominated each time we enter and use the Library.'

One problem with your thesis that the building is a "suicide magnet," Jake. Why haven't there been any other suicides in the building's 30 year history?

I can't even think of how many times I was on the upper floors of the library in my 4 years at NYU, looked over the balcony railing, and despite the feeling of vertigo I got from it, thought to myself what a great place to commit suicide it would be. And I wasn't even suicidal. So I can only imagine how perfect those supposed spikes look to someone determined to end their life. It's a shame, really....very poor planning. Add to that the fact that NYU treats students like garbage, and it's a recipe for disaster.

One of my daughters is at columbia and the other one is in Nyu .i tell you Nyu is a junk University created for welfare reciepients. They charge so much but i think most of students there get welfare.Their food is so bad my daughter lost 5 pounds in a week.And all those welfare savages treat normal students who are paying high tuition as things they should take advantage of and leach on to them as much as they can.It puts so much pressure on the normal students to help all those savages with money, books,clothes,school work and no wonder they commit suicide.