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70 Years [+] Pratt School of Architecture: An Ongoing Story

March 24 – April 25, 2025 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Higgins Hall, Leo J. Kuhn Lobby

A timeline exhibition at the Pratt School of Architecture showcases its 70-year history with historical images, text, and a collage of people along the bottom.
70 Years [+] Pratt School of Architecture: An Ongoing Story (photo by Quilian Riano)

In 1887, Pratt Institute was founded on the premise of the transformative impact of education, which was to provide an affordable college education and welcome students from all walks of life while developing and sustaining pathways to more equitable workplaces and careers. Initially, architecture was taught as a subject but was formalized by the New York State Board of Regents in 1923 as the Department of Architecture within the School of Fine and Applied Arts.

In 1954 the department became the Pratt Institute School of Architecture. Since then the school has grown into a highly ranked, large, and diverse school – now over 1,100 students study in ten different undergraduate and graduate programs that all teach disciplines that impact the built environment.

All materials for this exhibit were found in the archives of the Pratt Institute Library or in the various media produced in the school.

We present this material as a first step: looking back to our past and looking forward to our future.

The 70 Years [+] exhibition planning began when Dean Quilian Riano announced the School of Architecture would be celebrating this milestone and asked Assistant Dean Alicia Imperiale to curate this project and lead a team to research, design, and produce this exhibition including:  

Research:
Jasmine Chavez Helm-Berrios
Elizabeth Bobyr
Dorothy Balansag
Reeshane Villarama

Design:
Elizabeth Bobyr
Ann T. Dinh
Emmet Sutton
Sadie Imae

Installation:
Ann T. Dinh
Emmet Sutton
Sadie Imae
Zachary Fisher
Dorothy Balansag
Luong Quoc Bao Nguyen

Production:
Rodrigo Guajardo
Chi-Fan Wong
Zachary Fisher
Pratt Assembly Loop Lab

Thank you to the exhibition team, President Frances Bronet, Provost Donna Heiland, Pamela Gill, and Ramona Allen. Thank you also to Johanna Bauman, Brendan Enright, and Travis Werlen of the Pratt Institute Library for their invaluable research assistance and scanning of assets.

Pratt School of Architecture

Departments and Programs:
Academic Year 2024-2025

Undergraduate Architecture
Bachelor of Architecture

Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, & Urban Design
Master of Architecture
Master of Landscape Architecture
Master of Science in Architecture
Master of Science in Urban Design

Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
Master of Science in Historic Preservation
Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Systems
Master of Science in Urban and Community Planning
Master of Science in Urban Placemaking and Management

Construction Management, Facilities Management, & Real Estate Practice
Bachelor of Professional Science in Construction Management
Master of Science in Facilities Management
Master of Science in Real Estate Practice