COOPER UNION.
Have you ever strolled through the East Village East Village and been struck by the imposing brownstone facade of Cooper Union, its grand arches practically buzzing with history? It’s the kind of edifice that seems to have a tale to tell—and it does!? It’s the legacy of Peter Cooper (1791-1883), an inventor, industrialist, and education trailblazer who believed higher learning should be free—and wasn’t afraid to build an institution to prove it.
Cooper founded “Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art” in 1859 with a groundbreaking mission: to provide a top-tier education for free, regardless of wealth or social standing. Free education! A radical concept that would make even Bernie Sanders plotz. Even more radical? He admitted women at a time when most of their educational options involved needlework classes or finishing school polish. Cooper Union’s Great Hall also became a stage for history itself—most famously hosting the 1860 Lincoln-Douglas debate that helped launch an up-and-comer named Abraham Lincoln’s political career.
Cooper had a serious knack for what today you might call “getting sh*t done.” He made a vast fortune mass-producing glue (someone had to do it), then went on to build the first American steam locomotive, invent a washing machine, and even refine gelatin— a process that eventually led to the culinary delicacy we know as Jell-O. His school reflected this wildly inventive engineering spirit. Alumni include such luminaries as Thomas Edison, architects Daniel Libeskind and Shigeru Ban, sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, graphic designer Milton Glaser and even the guy who created Batman, Bob Kane— visionaries whose work literally shaped skylines and culture alike.
Though Cooper Union paused free tuition in 2014 due to financial struggles, plans are in place to restore it by 2028. Peter Cooper’s belief that “education should be as free as air and water” still resonates. His legacy isn’t just written in history books—it’s etched into New York City’s buildings, art, and intellect. Funny enough, free thinking was his most profitable invention.
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