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Exhibits & Collections

Charles Warner Pierce, 1867-1947
Charles Warner Pierce is believed to be the first African-American to receive a degree in Chemical Engineering. He received that degree in 1901 from Armour Institute of Technology, one of the predecessor colleges of Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago). The IIT Archives is pleased to have a significant number of items in its collection which document Charles Warner Pierce's time at Armour Institute of Technology. These documents have been digitized and are posted in this online exhibit.

Designing the Future: The Institute of Design Collection at IIT
One of the premier collections of the IIT Archives housed in the Paul V. Galvin Library is a superb grouping of original manuscripts documenting the early years of the Institute of Design.

Expanding Campus Boundaries: The IIT Building Program During World War II
Within months of the 1940 merger of Lewis Institute and Armour Institute of Technology which created Illinois Institute of Technology, the trustees and school administrators were at work on a plan to expand the State Street campus. The proposal identified six new buildings needed for the college with a price tag of $3,100,000. Put on hold during the war, the building program was re-evaluated seven years later, and the list grew to 15 buildings. When land, housing, utilities, landscaping, and laboratory equipment were added to the list of buildings needed by the college in 1947, the total post-war price tag came to $15,000,000.

IIT's "Other" Buildings
In round numbers, there are about fifty buildings on Illinois Institute of Technology's main campus at 33rd and State Streets in Chicago, world renowned as the "Mies campus". Beyond our State Street campus, the university occupies several other buildings at multiple locations including our Downtown Campus at Adams and Jefferson Streets, our Rice Campus in Wheaton, and our Moffett Campus in Bedford Park. With the announcement in 2001 that S. R. Crown Hall had been awarded National Historic Landmark status and the Chicago Landmark designation awarded in 2004 to Main Building and Machinery Hall, this exhibit looks at some other IIT buildings which have been accorded marks of architectural distinction.

Reflection and Revelation: Yearbooks Through the Years
Collectively, 100 years' worth of school "annuals" chronicle the history of Lewis Institute, Armour Institute, and Illinois Institute of Technology.

Tech News Collection
A digitized collection of IIT-published newspapers, including the current campus newspaper "IIT Technology News" and its predecessors "Armour News" and "Armour Tech News," which have been in publication since 1928. This web site provides indexing and access to over 58,000 articles from issues published between 1928-1981.