9. Sistine Chapel Fresco Reproduction in Butler Commons
In December 2018, the Metropolitan Museum of Art donated a reproduction of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel fresco in Butler Commons. When Fordham University first announced the installation of the fresco reproduction on its Instagram account, many Fordham students had no idea where Butler Commons was.
Butler Commons is located in Duane Library, the location of both the Theology and Admissions departments. Duane Library is no longer used as a library since the construction of the Walsh Family Library in 1997, but classes still take place in the building. Butler Commons is named after Mother Butler, the founder of the women’s college at Fordham in 1907, formerly Marymount College. This somewhat concealed space in Duane Library is the perfect study space as most students are unaware of its existence.