Engineering has been inextricably linked to New York State since the early 19th century, as it was the birthplace of professional engineering in the United States. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, located 50 miles north of New York City along the Hudson River, offered civil engineering as an academic subject when it was founded in 1802. In 1835, Rensselaer Institute (now Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), also located along the Hudson River in Troy, N.Y., granted the first civil engineering degrees in the United States. The first professional engineering society in the United States also originated in New York--the Association of Civil Engineers (ASCE) was founded in New York City in 1852. In Brooklyn, the Polytechnic Institute (now Polytechnic Institute of NYU), founded in 1854, is regarded as the second oldest private school of engineering and technology in the United States.
The Brooklyn Engineers' Club was incorporated on December 29, 1896. The purpose of the Club was to promote social and professional intercourse and to advance engineering knowledge and practice. Membership consisted of four levels: Corporate, Associate, Non-resident, and Honorary members. Corporate and Associate members were required to either live or work in one of the five boroughs of New York City. The Brooklyn Engineers' Club clubhouse was located at 117 Remsen Street (between Clinton and Henry Streets) in the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. As of 2010, the brownstone building was the home to Congregation B’nai Avraham and to Kiddie Korner Preschool.
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Sources:
- Goldman, Joanne Abel. "Engineering." In
The Encyclopedia of New York City, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson, 376-377. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New-York Historical Society, 1995.
- New York University. "Polytechnic Institute of NYU." Accessed December 17, 2010. http://www.nyu.edu/about/leadership-university-administration/office-of-the-president/office-of-the-provost/redirect/faculty/new-faculty/new-faculty-0910/polytechnic-institute-of-nyu.html
From the guide to the Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications, 1897-1973, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
