Pratt Institute-Main

the institute opened to 12 students in the Main Hall. Tuition was $4 per class per term (approximately equivalent to $140 in 2024). The college was one of the first in the country open to all people, regardless of class, color, and gender. In the early years, the institute's mission was to offer education to those who never had it offered to them before. Pratt believed that teaching technical skills-drawing, building, designing-promoted intellectual thought and creativity. And in a reciprocal manner, exposure to the ideals and aesthetics of fine art. Specifically, many programs were tailored to the growing need to train industrial workers in the changing economy with training in design and engineering. Early programs sought to teach students a variety of subjects such as architectural engineering, mechanics, dressmaking, and furniture making. Graduates of the school were taught to become engineers, mechanics, and technicians. Drawing, whether freehand, mechanical, or architectural, thought of as being a universal …