Carnegie Building

Introduction

One of the westernmost buildings on campus, the Carnegie Building is a four story building that is home to the Cognitive Science department.

History

After the fire of 1904 destroyed the Main Building, RPI considered expanding its campus. The idea was to extend and expand the campus down the hill into Troy, or even moving out of Troy. At the time, Columbia university had proposed a merger with its New York City campus, but ultimately the decision was made to stay in Troy, but move the campus uphill.

As part of this uphill plan, Andrew Carnegie donated $125,000 for the construction of the building, around $3,815,943 today. In addition to this, the Walter Phelps Warren estate was acquired as well. The building was completed in 1906. Designed by the architectural firm Whitfield and King, the Carnegie building was constructed out of Harvard brick and Indiana Limestone, like many of the buildings on campus at the time. In addition to this, concrete and steel were used for the structure. The building was designed to be fireproofed, with terrazzo floors and while tiled walls.