Pennsylvania College of Art and Design - History

History

The college began in 1982 as the Pennsylvania School of the Arts, in Marietta, Pennsylvania. It was begun by faculty and many volunteers from the recently closed York Academy of Arts, which had been located in York, Pennsylvania. It moved to the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1987, and since 1 July 2003 has operated under the name Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. The school originally offered a three-year diploma program which consisted of classes in fine art, interior design, and communication arts.

In the fall of 1999, Pennsylvania College of Art & Design was approved as a college and awarded degree-granting privileges by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. In August 2000, the first BFA freshmen walked through the new college's doors. In the summer of 2001, the College marked another milestone when it purchased the property at 202-204 North Prince St., making its home permanent. This purchase provides the college with an opportunity for future expansion, and further establishes PCA&D as a major cultural and economic anchor in downtown Lancaster.

On September 9, 2010, PCA&D opened the all-new Design Center, 9,200 sq ft (850 m2). of collaborative learning space with state-of-the-art technology for all BFA seniors. Now named the Suzanne H. and Ronald D. Schrotberger Design Center, it greatly expands the cross-department nature of PCA&D's curriculum, which features real-world projects from outside clients.