Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry
Education was a consistent focus for the Drexel family’s philanthropic activities. Most notably, Anthony J. Drexel founded the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry in 1891. He earmarked three million dollars to launch the institute. He envisioned the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry as a space that would prepare students for careers in new industries and make no written restrictions on religion, gender, or socioeconomic status.
Building a Workforce for the “Modern” Era
Construction on the Drexel Institute began in 1889, the entire school contained in what is now the Main Building of Drexel University. There was accommodation for 2500 students, wood- and metal-working areas in the basement, a library and museum, a lecture hall on the first floor, schoolrooms and small lecture rooms on the upper floors, and a fourth-floor gymnasium. The location was chosen for its proximity to public transportation and railroad lines. It opened for classes in September 1891 with 1600 students enrolled the first year.
In Philadelphia during the late-19th century, there was a growing need for a workforce with more advanced training as the industrial landscape continued to expand. While there were already elite schools in the area to serve the upper classes, the city lacked an industrial school specifically to train middle- and working-class students to take on skilled technical jobs.
An 1892 article about the Drexel Institute in the Public Ledger reads: “Its purpose is to thoroughly instruct and train young men and women for successfully engaging in artistic, scientific, and industrial pursuits…It aims to supply that which the ‘masses,’ not the few, need and want….” The Institute’s administration and curriculum were particularly influenced by the Pratt Institute (founded in 1887) in Brooklyn, New York, as well as the technical schools of Europe.
While the Drexel Institute was notable for its inclusion of women in the student body and was considered “open to all” in terms of its dedication to educating middle- and working-class people, this does not mean all people of Philadelphia could attend. Some programs were strictly segregated by gender and the Drexel student body remained white, with some exceptions, well into the 20th century. That said, the egalitarian ideals were still ground-breaking for the late 19th century.