#stevenspride

Every year on February 15th we honor the founding of Stevens Institute of Technology, named for the Stevens family. The Stevens family were known as great inventors and designers, engineers and urban planners, and their influence is still very much felt, and seen, in Hoboken, and across the nation. Edwin A. Stevens (1795 - 1868) was the youngest son of Colonel John Stevens and had a mind for engineering and business. He was the organizer and financier of the family.  

When Edwin passed away in August of 1868 he had bequeathed a block of land adjoining the family estate at Castle Point, Hoboken, and he set aside $150,000 for the erection of a building and $500,000 to establish an “Institution of learning” firmly anchoring the Stevens legacy in Hoboken, NJ. With the help of his widow, Martha Bayard Stevens, Stevens Institute of Technology was officially established on February 15,1870.

Martha Bayard Stevens also served as one of the original Trustees at Stevens, ensuring that her late husband’s vision of an institute dedicated to advanced learning was followed through in a timely manner. The Stevens Institute of Technology is America’s first university devoted to mechanical engineering. The Edwin A. Stevens Hall building was the first building on campus, the next building (Carnegie building) was not constructed until 1902. The Edwin A. Stevens Hall was designed by NY architect Richard Upjohn.

Although Stevens Institute of Technology was officially established in 1870, the school didn’t formally open to students until September 20, 1871. That first year there were a total of 21 students, and the very first student to graduate from Stevens was Mr. J. Augustus Henderson in 1873. We have his handwritten senior thesis here in the archives, the very first one we ever accepted!