Beaux-Arts Institute of Design

The building standing before you was once a vibrant school for the next generation of American architects. Founded in 1916 by a group of designers who had trained in Paris, the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design aimed to bring the rigorous, competition-based teaching style of the French academy to New York City. The students who filled these halls were often first-generation Americans from working-class backgrounds who spent their evenings learning the classical principles of design with the hope of launching professional careers in architecture, painting, and sculpture.