History
Foundations and Early Innovations (1824–1850)
The founding of the Rensselaer School on December 29, 1824, was a radical departure from traditional classical education. Established by Stephen Van Rensselaer III and guided by the pedagogical vision of Senior Professor Amos Eaton, the school was designed for the "application of science to the common purposes of life".
Eaton had a unique approach to schooling. Unlike other 19th-century colleges, students gave their own lectures, performed their own experiments and led demonstrations, a technique Eaton believed was the only way to ensure true mastery of the field.
The Rensselaer Institute was also the first school to grant degrees in Civil Engineering, starting in 1835.
In 1835, Eaton invited a group of eight young women to participate in a specialized course. While this did not lead to immediate, permanent coeducation, it was a significant historical anomaly. Eaton believed that women were as capable as men in the sciences, a view that was nearly a century ahead of its time and laid the conceptual groundwork for the Institute’s eventual formal transition to coeducation in the 1940s.
Polytechnic Reorganization (1850–1900)
The Polytechnic Reorganization period represents a pivotal era in the history of RPI, during which the institution transitioned from a specialized school of applied science into a comprehensive technical university. This era was defined by the leadership of Benjamin Franklin Greene, the recovery from the Great Fire of 1862, and the strategic relocation of the campus to its current site on the "Hill."
In 1847, Benjamin Franklin Greene, an 1842 graduate of the Institute, was appointed as the school's first formal "Director." Greene sought to modernize the curriculum, which had remained largely unchanged since the era of Amos Eaton.
After conducting an extensive study of European technical institutions—most notably the École Polytechnique in Paris—Greene published a booklet in 1850 titled The Reorganization of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He proposed expanding the Institute into a "polytechnic university" that would offer a broader range of scientific and literary courses. Under this new framework, the curriculum was extended to three years (later four) and organized into distinct departments, solidifying RPI’s shift from a school focused on "the common purposes of life" to a professionalized center for engineering education.
Institutional Identity
While Greene began using the name Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as early as 1851 to reflect the new polytechnic model, the name was not legally sanctioned for another decade. The change was officially recognized by the New York State Legislature on April 8, 1861.
Relocation
The Great Fire of 1862
On May 10, 1862, a spark from a locomotive on the nearby Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad bridge ignited a massive fire. The resulting conflagration destroyed over 500 buildings in the city of Troy, including the Institute’s "Infant School" building and much of its downtown infrastructure.
The "Move to the Hill"
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Institute's future was uncertain. Columbia University in New York City offered a merger proposal that would have absorbed the school and relocated it to Manhattan. However, the RPI Board of Trustees, determined to maintain the school’s independence and its ties to Troy, rejected the offer.
The Trustees instead opted to move the campus away from the industrial riverfront and up the eastern slope overlooking the city. This move to the "Hill" provided the space necessary for physical expansion and established the geographic footprint of the modern campus.
The Ricketts Era and Physical Expansion (1901–1934)
Post-War Research and Coeducation (1944–1999)
Following the conclusion of World War II, RPI experienced a surge in enrollment fueled by the G.I. Bill. Under the leadership of Presidents Livingston W. Houston (1943–1958) and Richard G. Folsom (1958–1971), the Institute pivoted toward "big science" and federally funded research.
In 1962, RPI secured a landmark facility grant from NASA to establish the Materials Research Center (MRC). This was the first facility grant ever awarded by NASA, signaling RPI's emergence as a big player in the United States' aerospace and defense infrastructure. The expansion of the Jonsson Engineering Center (JEC) further solidified the campus as a hub for interdisciplinary engineering.
RPI's role in the American space program scaled even further with George M. Low (Class of 1948). After serving as the manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office at NASA, Low returned to Troy to serve as RPI’s 14th president from 1976 to 1984. His tenure brought national prestige to the Institute and emphasized the "management of technology," leading to the founding of the Rensselaer Technology Park in North Greenbush.
Rensselaer’s ties to industry and government were physically realized in the development of the Rensselaer Technology Park in North Greenbush (1981), implementation of the Incubator Program (1981), and the establishment of new cooperative programs through the Centers for Interactive Computer Graphics (1978), Manufacturing Productivity and Technology Transfer (1979), and Integrated Electronics (1981). These Centers formed the basis of GML’s 1981 proposal to Gov. Hugh Carey to establish New York State’s Center for Industrial Innovation (CII) at RPI. The CII was renamed the George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation in 1984.