Cooper Union

Peter Cooper, an inventor, civic leader, and philanthropist, founded Cooper Union for the advancement of science and art and offered free education to all. Its great hall became the birthplace of many important social and political movements, and America’s leading citizens spoke there, including Abraham Lincoln, whose 1860 address at the institution contributed to his presidential nomination. Designed by Frederick A. Peterson, the building opened in 1859. It was the oldest building in the United States supported by rolled structural beams, a forerunner of today’s skyscraper.

New York, New York · United States