City College, City University Of New York (CUNY), North Campus

History and architecture

The story of the founding of the College of the City of New York begins with the story of Townsend Harris who was born in the village of Sandy Hill In Washington County, New York, on October 4, 1804. He grew up in this small upstate agricultural community in a family that was honest, industrious and resourceful. These qualities characterized Townsend Harris throughout his lifetime. He received only a moderate amount of education at the local school where he teamed the "three Rs" which at that time were considered enough for any country boy.

Harris was a man of great intelligence who was vitally interested in everything in the world around him. Exposure to the culture of New York opened new vistas for him. He felt very keenly his tack of higher teaming and, eventually, through his own personal efforts, he educated himself in college subjects. He was particularly interested in languages and he learned to speak fluent French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese.

Harris was well received socially, and was quite active in civic affairs. He was a volunteer fireman, a member of the militia, a trustee of the Northern Dispensary, a member of the Board of Education and a commissioner of the Ninth Ward. He was elected President of the Board of Education for two terms, 1846-1848, and it was during this time that he proposed free education at college level for all young men who had graduated from the "common schools" of the City.

This was a very novel idea and it was not received with universal enthusiasm. Harris was not to be deterred, however, and he enlisted the support of several influential men, among them James Cordon Bennett, editor of the Herald, and William Cullen Bryant, editor of the Evening Post. Both of these men strongly advocated the cause of the Free Academy in their editorials. Bryant wrote, "The Academy wi!i give us intelligent mechanics, whose influence among our people, extending throughout the Union, and reacting upon ourselves, cannot fait to elevate our national character."

The way was not smooth by any means but It became easier as more and more publicity was given to the matter.

On February 23, 1847, the Townsend Harris Memorial and Draft of Bill were read into the Record in the State Senate and referred to the Committee on Literature. The bill was read out, referred to committee, reported upon and amended for several weeks. Finally, the bill was approved 63 to 30 in the Assembly and 20 to 0 in the Senate and on May 7, 1847, Governor John Young signed the bill, it became Chapter 206 of the Laws of 1847, subject to the approval of the people of New York City, In a referendum held Monday,June 7, 1847, the voters of New York went to the polls to render their verdict. When the votes were counted, 19,305 were in favor and only 3,409 were opposed.

Now that the Free Academy was an accomplished fact, things happened quickly. A site comprising sixteen tots on Lexington Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Streets was secured. This was an area somewhat uptown from the northern reaches of the populous city which then extended as far as 14th Street. By November 1847, the Board of Supervisors and the Common Council had agreed on the purchase of the site and the appropriation of funds to begin construction.

Construction of the Free Academy commenced in November 1847, and the building was completed by January 1, 1849. The design put forth by Renwick was somewhat similar in feeling to that of the Smithsonian Institution which was in progress at the same time. The beautiful and meticulous rendering which he made for the Free Academy is now in the Library of the College of the City of New York. This handsome Gothic Revival edifice was to stand for 79 years, it was demolished in 1928,

It was stilt to be forty more years before City College as we know it today took form. it was beginning to appear that the graduates of the Free Academy were under a handicap because of the name of their school. Not that the quality of education was less than that offered by academies and Colleges in other parts of the country, but the word "academy" was beginning to be old-fashioned in relation to higher education and the term "Free" had connotations of charity. Graduates of the New York Free Academy were finding that other institutions and prospective employers were sometimes doubtful) as to whether the students had received a collegiate education or not.

This condition was remedied on March 30, 1866, when, under the laws of New York , the Free Academy of the City of New York was made a body corporate with the title of ''The college of the City of New York." Having renamed the Free Academy a college, the Legislature went on to pass an act on April 17, 1866, which provided, among other things, that: "It shalt be the duty of the Trustees hereinbefore named, to select a suitable site upon the lands of the Corporation of New York, north of Fortieth Street in said City, for the future use of the college of the city of New York."