Adelphi Academy and Adelphi College collection
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Abstract
Adelphi Academy is a private preparatory school founded in 1863 by Dr. Edward S. Bunker and Aaron Chadwick. This collection documents the development and evolution of the Academy's curriculum, its physical growth and infrastructural development in its early years, and student life. It also documents Adelphi College prior to its becoming Adelphi University in 1963.
Historical note
Adelphi Academy is a private preparatory school founded in 1863 by Dr. Edward S. Bunker and Aaron Chadwick, who had both previously taught at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Though the Academy made its start as a school for boys, it became coeducational in 1867. It was officially incorporated and chartered by the Board of Trustees of the City of Brooklyn in 1869, and grew steadily throughout the 19th century, reaching its peak enrollment of 1,291 students in 1891. The Academy's original location was at 412 Adelphi Street, but due to its steady growth, it gradually outgrew this space and moved to newly built facilities at the corner of Lafayette Avenue and St. James Place in 1868.
Since as early as 1871, Adelphi Academy's administrators had considered the possibility of establishing a liberal arts college to be affiliated with the Academy. In 1896, under the administration Dr. Charles Herbert Levermore, Adelphi College (later Adelphi University) was chartered by the State of New York. Its original location was in a building directly behind the Academy at the corner of St. James Place and Clifton Place. Though they operated as separate institutions, Adelphi Academy and Adelphi College remained closely connected, with many of the Academy's students matriculating to the College upon graduation.
In 1929, Adelphi College moved its campus to Garden City, Long Island and was granted university status by the State of New York in 1963. Due to steadily declining enrollment, Adelphi Academy moved from its location at Lafayette Avenue and St. James Place to a smaller facility in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn in 1965. As of 2023, both institutions continue to operate in the same locations.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series by institution. Within each series, the materials are arranged by type and roughly chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The Adelphi Academy collection measures 2.25 linear feet and spans the dates 1864 to 1965. The collection documents the development and evolution of the Academy's curriculum, its physical growth and infrastructural development in its early years, as well as student life. Included in the collection are a narrative history of the Academy covering the period from its founding through the early 20th century; documents pertaining to the construction of the Academy's original building on Adelphi Street and its incorporation; course catalogs (including a complete run from 1899 to 1942); yearbooks; and copies of the student newspaper. It also contains catalogs, yearbooks, and a booklet from the Academy's peer institution, Adelphi College.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Adelphi Academy and Adelphi College collection, 1985.059, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The source and date of acquisition for this collection are largely unknown. The majority of the collection was formally accessioned in 1985. A smaller portion was removed from the Brooklyn schools collection (CBHM.0006) and the Brooklyn ephemera collection (BCMS.0007). The 1906 catalog was the gift of Marcia Hendrie Holroyd, 1990.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
If digital surrogates exist, they should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Originally minimally processed to the collection level, this collection was reprocessed by Dee Bowers in May 2023. At that time, a small amount of material from the Brooklyn schools collection (CBHM.0006) and the Brooklyn ephemera collection (BCMS.0007) was incorporated into the collection, materials were rehoused, and the finding aid was updated to the folder level.
