Carnegie Institute Records

On February 6, 1890, Andrew Carnegie offered a gift of "no less than one million dollars" to the City of Pittsburgh to build and administer a central free library, along with various branch libraries across the city. A condition of the offer was that the Library's Board of Trustees be composed of nine city officials and nine public citizens initially chosen by Carnegie’s own hand, and later to be appointed by election. By February 24th the city had enacted an ordinance to accept the offer and on March 1st it was recorded. The central library building was completed in 1895, and in 1896 Carnegie gave additional funds to add an Art Gallery and a Museum. With the expanded institution came and expanded Board of Trustees. Carnegie increased the number of Trustees to 36 and created a collection budget to fill the gallery and museum. The Board was dubbed, "The Carnegie Fine Arts and Museum Collection Fund." In 1898 the Board voted to change its name to "Carnegie Institute." By the 1907 reopening of the greatly expanded central library building, the result of a new $5 million gift by Carnegie, there were six branches across the city in total. The reopening was accompanied by a three day celebration from April 11-13.

In November of 1900 Carnegie offered Pittsburgh the funds to develop a Technical School, if the city would provide suitable land. On December 15, 1900 Carnegie "placed the Technical Schools under the direction of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institute, and on January 28, 1901, the City of Pittsburgh accepted Carnegie’s gift." On April 3, 1905, ground was broken at the chosen site, and by October of that year the doors were open to students. In June of 1908 the first diplomas were awarded. On April 20, 1912, the Technical Schools received their state of Pennsylvania Charter of Incorporation which granted powers to confer degrees, and the name was changed to Carnegie Institute of Technology (CIT). The first degrees were conferred in June of that year. In 1922, the first president of CIT, Arthur Arton Hamerschlag, tendered his resignation in reaction to pressure by the Board of Trustees to fundamentally alter the direction of the Schools. In 1959 the Pittsburgh Court of Common Pleas approved a new charter for CIT, drafted under the leadership of President Warner, that provided for a seperate Board of Trustees to govern the school independent of the Carnegie Institute's Board.