Architect's Travel Diary

“The cooper union foundation building, designed by Ar. Fred A. Petersen, in 1859, is an inspiration for future-ready buildings,” Ar. Amit Aurora

- Ar. Amit Aurora

AMERICAN INDUSTRIALIST AND inventor Peter Cooper who designed and built the first American steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, founded the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. In 1859, the landmark Foundation Building marked the creation of The Cooper Union. The building quickly became a common meeting place for intellectuals, inventors, tinkerers and people from across the social strata.

AT THE TIME OF ITS ERECTION, the Foundation Building was one of the tallest in lower Manhattan. It boasted novel features such as a cylindrical shaft between floors for the transport of goods by pullies — with which Cooper foresaw the forthcoming invention of the elevator. However, its greatest feature is, and has always been, the Great Hall.