Pratt Institute

History

Inception

Pratt Institute was founded in 1887 by American industrialist Charles Pratt, a successful businessman, oil tycoon, and one of the wealthiest men in the history of Brooklyn. He was an early pioneer of the oil industry in the United States. He was the founder of Astral Oil Works based in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, which was a leader in replacing whale oil with petroleum. In 1867, he established Charles Pratt and Company, and in 1874, his companies amalgamated with John D. Rockefeller's companies. They became part of the Standard Oil trust, where Pratt continued his active involvement on the board and the running of it.

Pratt, an advocate of education, wanted to provide working men and women the opportunity to better their lives through education. He had never had the chance to go to college himself, and wanted to create an affordable college accessible to the working class. In 1884 he purchased large plots of land near his home in Clinton Hill to open a school. It would end up being built only two blocks from his residence on Clinton Avenue.

Utilizing his fortunes with Astral Oil and Charles Pratt and Company, in 1886 he endowed and founded Pratt Institute. In May 1887, the New York State Legislature granted Charles Pratt a charter to open the school. On October 17, 1887, the institute opened to 12 students in the Main Hall. Tuition was $4 per class per term (approximately equivalent to $143.3 in 2025).

The college was one of the first in the country open to all people, regardless of class, color, and gender. In the early years, its mission was to offer education to those who never had it offered to them before.

Pratt believed that teaching technical skills - drawing, building, designing - promoted intellectual thought and creativity. Many programs were tailored to the growing need to train industrial workers in the changing economy with training in design and engineering. Early programs sought to teach students a variety of subjects, such as architectural engineering, mechanics, dressmaking, and furniture making. Graduates of the school were taught to become engineers, mechanics, and technicians. Drawing, whether freehand, mechanical, or architectural, thought of as being a universal language, united such diverse programs, and thus all programs in the school had a strong foundation in drawing. The curriculum was complemented by a large liberal arts curriculum. Students studied subjects such as history, mathematics, physics, and literature to better understand the world in which they would be working, which is still used in Pratt's curriculum.

Early years

Enrollment grew steadily from its inception. Six months after opening, the school had an enrollment of nearly 600 students. By the first anniversary of the school, there were 1,000 students in attendance. In five years, there were nearly 4,000. In 1888, Scientific American said that the school was "undoubtedly the most important enterprise of its kind in this country, if not in the world". Andrew Carnegie visited Pratt for inspiration and used the school as a model in developing Carnegie Technical Schools, now Carnegie Mellon University. At the first Founder's Day celebration in 1888, Charles Pratt addressed what would become the school's motto: "be true to your work and your work will be true to you"—meaning that students should educate and develop themselves diligently and go out into the world working hard, giving all of themselves.

As public interest grew and demand increased, the school began adding new programs, including the Pratt High School, Library School, Music Department, and Department of Commerce. Because of the overwhelming popularity of the Department of Commerce, the department broke off from the main institute and formed its own school, under the guidance of Norman P. Heffley, personal secretary to Charles Pratt. The Heffley School of Commerce, the former Pratt Department of Commerce, originally having shared facilities with Pratt, evolved into Brooklyn Law School.

In 1891, Charles Pratt died, and his eldest son, Charles Millard Pratt, became president of the school. In 1923, Pratt's other son, Frederic B. Pratt, was elected president of Pratt Institute, taking over from his brother. Because Charles Pratt Snr. died so soon after the college was founded, Frederic Pratt is ascribed with guiding the college through its early decades. Under the direction of Pratt's sons, the institute thrived both financially and critically, with many new construction projects and courses. By 1892, the number of students enrolled was 3,900. In 1897, the most popular major was domestic arts.

In 1896, the school opened its monumental Victorian-Renaissance Revival library, with interiors designed by the Tiffany Decorating and Glass Company, and sprawling gardens. The library was open to students and the general public. The Pratt Institute Library was the first and only public library in Brooklyn for nearly 15 years. It served as a working classroom for the training of librarians, and was one of the first schools of library science. It also had the first reading room for children in New York City.

Degree-granting status and increase in enrollment

As World War I loomed in 1914, Pratt partnered with the United States government to aid the war effort. The School of Science and Technology had its own Student Army Training Corps, which taught enlistees engineering skills needed for the war. Students designed aircraft used in the war. In 1927, mechanical engineering alumnus Donald A. Hall designed the Spirit of Saint Louis, used by Charles Lindbergh in the first transatlantic flight.

By 1938, most programs at the school had begun offering four-year Bachelor of Science degrees, and Pratt transformed itself from a technical school to a college. By granting bachelor's degrees, Pratt had to revise its curriculum from two years to four. The changes also reflected New York State requirements for granting degrees and stricter government and professional licensing regulations for graduates. During this decade, the basic program for all Art School students was founded. In 1940, Pratt began granting graduate degrees.

During World War II, Pratt's engineering school trained servicemen before they were deployed. Students helped to design camouflage for soldiers, buildings, and weapons. Following the war, the school saw a large influx of veterans enrolling as part of the GI Bill.

In the 1940s, the School of Science and Technology changed its name to the School of Engineering. In 1946, it established its own honor society. Mechanical engineering became the most popular major at Pratt.

In 1953, Francis H. Horn became the first president of Pratt who was not a member of the Pratt family.

Enrollment continued to climb throughout the decade, and in 1948 the institute reached an all-time high, with 6,000 students.

By 1950, Pratt had become accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

In 1954, the architecture department split from the Engineering School to become its own school.

Campus reorganization

As part of white flight in the 1950s and 1960s, which affected the majority of New York City the neighborhood of Clinton Hill began to see a transformation from an upper-class, affluent, white community to one chiefly populated by poor and working-class people of color. Pratt considered moving its campus to more affluent Long Island or Manhattan to increase its attractiveness, but decided to stay at its original Brooklyn campus due to its history and Charles Pratt's mission.

As a consequence of Robert Moses' plan for urban renewal in New York City, Pratt's physical campus saw the greatest amount of change in its history. Before the 1950s, the school was located in separate buildings located on several public streets. However, after Moses' clearance of many structures located between Pratt's buildings, including homes, the land was given over to the school, and a true campus was established. Ryerson Street, Grand Avenue, Steuben Street, and Emerson Place were closed to automobile traffic, and the campus was enclosed, forming the Grand Mall to connect the institute's buildings. The elevated train running along Grand Avenue between the East Building/Student Union and the Engineering Quad was dismantled. On the new real estate, the school was able to build several new structures, Dekalb Hall, Information Science Center and North Hall, all designed by the firm of McKim, Mead & White, including the Information Science Center and Dekalb Hall, as well as a new student union. Moses' construction projects around the school helped to build the School of Architecture. Research funds were granted to the school to help discover new building techniques. By 1963, the urban planning department formed the Pratt Center for Community Development in an attempt to revitalize Pratt's surrounding neighborhood and Brooklyn.

Enrollment decline and financial issues

In the 1970s and continuing well into the 1980s, New York City and Brooklyn faced large amounts of crime and poverty. Enrollment fell, and the school had a budget deficit. Prospective students and faculty felt uneasy about the safety of the campus and community.

In 1974, the men's basketball team came to the attention of national media outlets when Cyndi Meserve joined the team, becoming the first woman to play men's NCAA basketball.

More students earned architecture degrees than mechanical engineering degrees in 1975. Architecture degrees became the most popular degrees at Pratt, and remain so.

In anticipation of the institute's centennial in 1987, several capital improvements were made to the campus, in an attempt to restore many dilapidated buildings. The Grand Mall was re-landscaped with new plantings, brick pathways, and lighting. The Newman Amphitheater was built in 1988.

President Richardson Pratt Jr retired in 1990 after nearly twenty years as president. He was the last president descended from founder Charles Pratt.

In 1993, Thomas F. Schutte was appointed as president, and became the longest-serving president not from the Pratt family.

In the same year, Pratt controversially closed its School of Engineering, as announced in 1991. The School of Engineering had been an integral part of founder Charles Pratt's long-term vision. Historically, the school was Pratt's most successful, and many associated the school with its engineering program. In response to the institute-wide decrease in enrollment and school-wide budget issues, closing the School of Engineering was thought to be the only feasible option to keep the school's other programs afloat, and to address the budget. Students in the Engineering program were transferred to Polytechnic Institute of New York University, while tenured professors were relocated to the School of Architecture and the science and math departments in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Revitalization and growth

By closing the costly School of Engineering, the school was able to clear its debt and get on the track to financial success. Funds were allocated for campus-wide beautification projects and restoration and modernization of historic buildings, starting with Memorial Hall. This included adding the Pratt Institute Sculpture Park in 1999, placing contemporary art sculptures throughout the campus lawns and gardens, making it the largest contemporary sculpture park in New York City.

Pratt began a partnership with the Pratt Munson College of Art and Design (Utica, New York) and the Delaware College of Art and Design (Wilmington, Delaware) for art students to study for two years at either campus and finish their degrees at Pratt's School of Art and Design in Brooklyn.

During the 1990s, the school increased enrollment by twenty-five percent, from approximately 3,000 students in 1990 to 4,000 students in 2000.

Vincent A. Stabile, a 1940 graduate of the School of Engineering, donated about $13 million to Pratt, the largest donation made by any alumnus in the college's history, with the request to President Schutte that the funds be used to reopen the School of Engineering. President Schutte rejected Stabile's request, and allocated his funds to construct a new residence hall named in his honor.

From the mid-1980s to the 2000s, Pratt transitioned from being mainly a commuter school to a residential school, through the construction of new residence halls Cannoneer Court, Pantas Hall, and Stabile Hall.

Organization

The Pratt Institute is divided into six schools and more than 28 departments and divisions, offering over 22 undergraduate majors and 25 graduate majors. The schools are:

School of Architecture

School of Art

School of Design

School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

School of Information

School of Continuing and Professional Studies

The Pratt Institute also operates the Pratt Institute Libraries.

Former schools of the Pratt Institute include:

School of Domestic Arts and Sciences

School of Engineering

Academics

Joint degree programs

Brooklyn Law School and Pratt Institute jointly sponsor a program leading to the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Science (M.S.) in City and Regional Planning.

Accreditation

Pratt Institute is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and is authorized to award academic degrees by the State of New York, following guidelines established by the New York State Department of Education.

The Bachelor of Architecture degree and the Master of Architecture degree at the School of Architecture are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. The undergraduate interior design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.

Graduate programs in library and information science, art therapy, and art education are all accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Library Association, Education Approval Board of the American Art Therapy Association, and RATE, respectively. The School of Art and Design is part of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.

Rankings

In its 2025 list, U.S. News & World Report ranked several Pratt Institute's graduate programs highly: #15 in Best Fine Arts Programs, #11 in Painting/Drawing, #29 in Best Library and Information Studies Program, and #10 in Archives and Preservation. The Bachelor of Architecture program has been ranked as being in the top fifteen programs in the United States consistently since 2000, according to Architectural Record.

While Kiplinger's Personal Finance previously named Pratt as one of the country's best values in private colleges and universities, it was no longer listed in their rankings as of 2019. It was previously included as one of the top values for academic quality and affordability, out of more than 600 private institutions.

In 2023 and 2024, Pratt Institute was ranked sixth globally, according to the QS World University Rankings by the subject Art and Design.

Campus

Brooklyn campus

Pratt Institute's main campus is located on a historic, esteemed, enclosed 25-acre (100,000 m2) campus located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn, 2 miles from Downtown Brooklyn and 3 miles from Lower Manhattan. Midtown Manhattan is just 5 miles from the campus.

The campus is accessible by two public entrances, both of which close in the evening hours and are guarded by security 24 hours a day. The main gate located at Willoughby Avenue on the north side of campus is accessible for pedestrians and vehicles, while the secondary pedestrian-only gate located at the corner of Hall Street and DeKalb Avenue at the southwest part of campus is convenient for commuters and for students to get to Higgins Hall. Three other swipe card access gates are only for student use. The campus is very park-like and fully landscaped, and provides a stark contrast to the urban neighborhood that surrounds the school.

The four main areas of the campus include the Library Rose Garden, Cannon Court, Newman Mall and Amphitheater, and the Engineering Quad:

The historically significant Rose Garden is located directly north of the library and was built as a part of the library acting as a public park. At the center of the garden is a 1926 World War I memorial to commemorate the men and women of Pratt Institute in the war.

The Cannon Court is located directly south of the library and serves as the main entrance from the Hall Street gate. A central feature of the court is a large bronze Spanish cannon from 1720, originally from Seville, Spain, and brought to Pratt from Morro Castle in Havana, Cuba in 1899. Trees and meandering pathways lead to the library and Newman Mall.

The Newman Mall takes up the center of the campus, with many of the academic buildings alongside the mall. The mall is characterized by brick pathways with mature trees lining a central lawn. To the north of the mall is a small amphitheater, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

The Engineering Quadrangle, which is recognized as a historic landmark, is located north of the Newman Mall toward the eastern side of campus. The Chemistry, Machinery, and Engineering buildings enclose the quad, which has terraced landscaping and gardens with many mature trees.

List of sculptures on campus

Sources:

Buildings

Pratt is home to a diverse collection of buildings composed of several architectural styles. Most of the buildings at the school were built before World War II in the style of Romanesque Revival, Victorian, and Neoclassical styles, and were designed by prominent nineteenth- and twentieth-century architects. After the war, Pratt began building more contemporary-styled buildings.

In 2011, Architectural Digest named Pratt as one of the top ten most architecturally significant college campuses in the country, for its seamless collection of buildings dating from since the 1800s.

The Main Building, East Hall Building, and Student Union are adjacent to one another, and make up a complex of the original buildings, all built specifically for the institute in 1887:

Located in the north-central part of campus, the Main Building is a six-story Romanesque Revival brick building designed by Lamb and Rich. It was the first building to open at the school. The roof features an iconic clock tower which overlooks the Rose Garden. The building houses administrative offices, classrooms, and art studios for the Arts Department of the School of Art and Design. In February 2013, a fire throughout the top floors destroyed much of the interior structure and students' work.

East Hall is located directly behind Main Hall, and faces Grand Walk. Designed by William Windrim, a main feature of the brick building is the large smokestack which served the institute's power generation plant. The hall houses student services including Career Services, Student Activities, International Student Affairs, and the Pratt Chapel. Located in the lower level of the building is Pratt's continuously operating, privately owned, steam-powered electrical generating plant, built originally to serve the power needs of the school. In 1977 the facility was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and named a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark. As part of its goal of reducing emissions 40 percent by 2040, Pratt plans to transition its steam-powered electrical generating plant away from burning natural gas or heavy oil. In 2023, Pratt Institute removed two combustion engineering water tube boilers, and replaced these boilers with two Cleaver Brooks fire tube boilers.

The Student Union, by architect William Tubby, was originally built as the Trade School building. Soon after completion, it was remodeled as the Student Union, complete with a gymnasium and swimming pool. In 1982 the building was renovated again as the new Student Union. All three buildings wrap around an interior courtyard that connects with the Newman Mall and Library Rose Garden. The centerpiece of the courtyard is a 17th-century Italian marble well-head fountain purchased by the Pratt family in 1900. Renovated again in the summer of 2018, the Student Union is a place for the Pratt community to gather, study, relax, and innovate.

Historic sites

Several Pratt buildings and landscapes are historically significant. The Pratt Institute Historic District is a national historic district that comprises 10 contributing buildings built between 1885 and 1936. Several buildings are recognized as being New York City Designated Landmarks. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and was awarded the Getty Foundation Campus Heritage Grant. Two buildings outside the historic district, Higgins Hall and the Caroline Ladd Pratt House, are also listed on the historic register as being a part of the Clinton Hill Historic District. The buildings and structures listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for their architectural or historical significance are:

Residence halls

Pratt, a residential campus, offers seven residence options for its students. All residence hall students are provided with a bed (twin extra-long), desk, chair, and dresser. Students residing in a dorm without in-unit kitchens are required to be on a meal plan (Stabile, Emerson, ELJ, and Pantas), while those with in-unit kitchens can sign up for an optional meal plan (Willoughby and Grand Avenue). Emerson Place, Leo J. Pantas Hall, and Vincent A. Stabile Hall are the primary freshman dorms. In total, 51 percent of undergraduate students reside on campus, while 92 percent of incoming freshmen students reside on campus. Pratt offers the following residence halls for students:

Esther Lloyd-Jones Hall is named for a trendsetter in modern American higher education. The building was originally a private apartment building built in 1921, amd was acquired by Pratt in 1964 to use for dormitories. ELJ accommodates students in single and double rooms in apartment-style accommodations. It is occupied primarily by upperclassmen continuing students.

Emerson Hall is the newest dorm on the Pratt campus, opening in the fall of 2019. It was built specifically as a freshman dorm. It was collaboratively designed by CannonDesign and Hanrahan Meyers Architects to encourage interaction. The dorm is off campus, across the street from the Film and Video Building. It contains double rooms, with several individual bathrooms and separate, individual shower rooms on each floor, to be shared by floor residents. Each floor also contains a large central common space with a small kitchen.

Leo J. Pantas Hall was opened in 1987 and designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It is centrally located on campus. Students live in four-person suites, which consist of two double rooms (two people in each double room). Each suite has a bathroom. Suites are single-sex, but floors are co-ed. The building has work/study rooms and communal lounges. It was designed in brick with a clock tower, echoing the style of the original 1887 main building. Pantas is primarily a freshman residence hall.

Vincent A. Stabile Hall opened in the fall of 1999 and was designed by Pasanella+Klein, Stolzman+Berg Architects. Named for the donor and graduate of the Engineering School, it was designed for new undergraduate students. It houses 240 students in four-person suites. Each suite consists of two double rooms with a shared bath. There are kitchenettes located on each floor. Stabile is primarily a freshman residence hall.

Transportation

Pratt does not provide any official sponsored transportation options for its students, but there are several public transportation options located directly off the main campus.

The school is served by MTA New York City Bus routes, with the B38 bus route servicing the campus to the south with stations along DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues, and the B54 bus route serving the area north of the campus along Myrtle Avenue. In addition, the New York City Subway's G train has one station located at the intersection of Washington and Lafayette Avenues and another located at the intersection of Classon and Lafayette Avenues. The Clinton–Washington Avenues station (IND Crosstown Line) is located directly across the street from Higgins Hall. The Classon Avenue station (IND Crosstown Line) is located one block south of the southeast corner of campus. In addition, the C train has an entrance to Clinton–Washington Avenues station (IND Fulton Street Line) four blocks south of the Hall Gate entrance and three blocks south of Higgins Hall.

New York City's public bike-share program, Citi Bike, has stations nearby at Lafayette Avenue and Saint James Place, at Hall Street and Willoughby Avenue, and Emerson Place and Myrtle Avenue.

The Long Island Rail Road at Atlantic Terminal is located a short walk from the campus. Pratt participates in New Jersey Transit's University Partnership Program, through which students can receive a twenty-five percent discount on monthly passes based out of Penn Station in Manhattan.

Manhattan Center

The Pratt Manhattan Center (PMC) building, located at 144 West 14th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue, is home to associate degrees programs, a bachelor's degree program, and graduate programs. The School of Continuing and Professional Studies also offers non-credit courses and certificate programs. This seven-story historic building was acquired by Pratt in 2000. The institute restored the building's exterior to its original facade, highlighting its decorative architectural and design elements, and renovated the interior to feature its high ceilings and wood beams.

In 1974, the New York Phoenix School of Design, formerly the New York School of Applied Design for Women and the Phoenix Art Institute, merged with the Pratt Institute to form the Pratt-New York Phoenix School of Design, which offered three-year certificate programs in art and design at least into the late 1970s. It is located in the landmark New York School of Applied Design Building at 160 Lexington Avenue, at the northwest corner of Lexington and 30th Street.

Student life

Demographics

Pratt Institute students numbered 3,435 undergraduates and 1,381 graduate students in the fall of 2019 and came from 86 countries and 48 states. Women represented 71% of undergraduates and 74% of graduate students.

Clubs and student organizations

As of October 2022, Pratt was home to 122 clubs with a wide range of focuses. Clubs include the Pratt Photo League, Latinx Student Alliance, Pratt Institute Botanical Society, Aura Dance Crew, and Students for Socialist Revolution.

Student media

Pratt has several student media groups, including a film club.

The Prattler is Pratt's quarterly student magazine/newspaper, established in 1940.

Static Fish is a comic book publication established over 20 years ago.

Ubiquitous is Pratt's literary and arts magazine, published twice a year. It holds reading events on campus per semester, and also maintains a blog.

Pratt's yearbook, Prattonia, is designed by selected students.

Pratt Radio, a student-run internet radio station, broadcasts on the web. Originally broadcasting from a limited-range signal in the mid-1980s, the FCC stepped in and shut the operation down after students modified the broadcast tower, rendering it pirate radio. The station later re-emerged in 2001 as a legitimate, internet-only station.

The Felt is an online journal of poetry and prose from the MFA Writing program.

Fraternities and sororities

The Inter-Greek Council is responsible for all Greek life organizations at Pratt Institute. Pratt offers one fraternity for male students and two sororities for female students:

Kappa Sigma

Theta Phi Alpha

Sigma Sigma Sigma

Athletics

Pratt was awarded full Division III membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on September 1, 2022.

The Cannoneers joined the Atlantic East Conference (AEC) in the 2024–25 academic year, and are the only New York institution in the seven-member league.

Pratt sponsors 14 NCAA intercollegiate programs and is a member of the Coast to Coast Conference (C2C), with men's volleyball being a member of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). Pratt began its transition to NCAA Division III with an exploratory season in 2018–19, which was rewarded with provisional membership the following year.

The Cannoneers previously competed in the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) from 2020–21 to 2023–24 and in the American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) during their NCAA Division III exploratory status from 2018–19 to 2019–20.

Facilities

Designed by Ezra Ehrenkranz and Daniel Tully and constructed in 1974, the Activity Resource Center is the main hub for Pratt Athletics and Recreation. The ARC boasts several courts for recreational and competitive activities, a fitness and performance room, a multi-use studio room, a 200-meter indoor track, a boxing and functional fitness area, and over 41,000 square feet of open event space.

It previously hosted the annual Colgate Games, the nation's largest amateur track series for girls from elementary school through college.

People

List of presidents

Charles Pratt (1830–1891), president 1887–1891

Charles Millard Pratt (1855–1935), president 1891–1893

Frederic B. Pratt (1865–1945), president 1893–1937

Charles Pratt (1892–?), president 1937–1953

Francis H. Horn, president 1953–1957

Robert Fisher Oxnam (1915–1974), president 1957–1960

Richard H. Heindel (c.1913–1979), president 1961–1967

James B. Donovan (1916–1970), president 1968–1970

Henry Saltzman, acting president 1970–1972

Richardson Pratt Jr. (1923–2001) (grandson of Charles Millard Pratt; great-grandson of Charles Pratt), president 1972–1990

Warren F. Ilchman (1933–), president 1990–1993

Thomas F. Schutte (1936–2025), president 1993–2017

Frances Bronet, 2018–present