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Zysman Hall (Yeshiva University Main Building)

A one-of-a-kind building to see from the street; it's an active school, so interior access depends on events.

2540 Amsterdam AveAmsterdam Ave at W 186th St

Yeshiva University's Zysman Hall with its domed towers on Amsterdam Avenue
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Detail of the east facade of Zysman Hall
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The center of Zysman Hall's east facade on Amsterdam Avenue
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Zysman Hall seen from the south along Amsterdam Avenue
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What it is

Zysman Hall, originally the Main Building of Yeshiva University, is at 2540 Amsterdam Ave on the Wilf Campus. YU says it opened in 1928 as the first of its buildings at 186th St and Amsterdam Ave and the original home of Yeshiva College. It was designed by Charles B. Meyers Associates, with Henry Beaumont Herts also credited by YU. Its name changed over time: Tanenbaum Hall from 1978 to 1994, back to the Main Building, and David H. Zysman Hall since 2001.

Who it’s for

Architecture fans, people arriving on the George Washington Bridge ramp who wonder what the green-domed building is, and anyone interested in Jewish history in Washington Heights.

Standout details

YU describes a blend of Art Deco with Moorish and Byzantine revival details such as domes, horseshoe arches and Middle Eastern ornament. Daytonian in Manhattan quotes the AIA Guide to New York City calling it “one of the great romantic structures of its time.” Today the building houses the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and Yeshiva University High School for Boys, plus the Nathan Lamport Auditorium, where speakers have included Eleanor Roosevelt, David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir.

Honest verdict

Best appreciated from the sidewalk. It is a working school, and I did not find a public visiting policy, so go in only for a public event at Lamport Auditorium.