Pratt Institute - Campus

Campus

Pratt Institute is an enclosed landscaped 25-acre (100,000 m2) campus in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, with historic buildings, library, and an athletic center. A residential campus, it offers several different kinds of residential options. It has two public entrances,which close in the evening hours. The main gate on Willoughby Avenue (for pedestrians and cars) is guarded by a security post 24 hours a day. The Hall Street entrance is convenient for commuters, as it is a short walk of two blocks from the Clinton-Washington Avenues subway station. Buildings on campus include the Library, Dekalb Hall, ISC Building, Main Building, North Hall, East Building, Student Union, Memorial Hall, Machinery Building, Chemistry Building, Engineering Building, Pratt Studios, Steuben Hall, and the ARC building. Off-campus buildings include the newly renovated Higgins Hall, which contains the School of Architecture and Myrtle Hall, an environmentally green building on Myrtle Avenuefor digital arts programs and student services including admissions, which opened in Fall 2010. The contemporary sculpture park on campus is open to visitors during the day.

Pratt Institute Historic District is a national historic district that consists of 36 contributing buildings built between 1885 and 1936. It includes the Main Hall (1886), library (1896), South Hall (c. 1890s), and Memorial Hall (1926–1927). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Pratt boasts the oldest continuously operating, privately owned, steam-powered electrical-generating plant in the country. The facility's historic value was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and named a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

The library at Pratt Institute, which was opened in 1888 to serve not only students but the general public as well, was the first free public library in Brooklyn. The architect of the building was William Tubby of Brooklyn. The decoration in the building was done by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.