IIT HIstory - The Sermon and the Institute
In 1890, when advanced education was often reserved for society's elite, Chicago minister Frank Gunsaulus delivered what came to be known as the "Million Dollar Sermon." From the pulpit of his South Side church, near the site Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) now occupies, Gunsaulus said that with a million dollars he would build a school where students of all backgrounds could prepare for meaningful roles in a changing industrial society.
Philip Danforth Armour, Sr. (1832-1901)
Benefactor who, inspired by minister Frank Wakely Gunsaulus' vision of building a school to provide accessible higher education to all, gave $1 million to found Armour Institute. P.D. Armour, Sr. initiated a family legacy of financial personal contribution to the university, starting with his wife, Malvina Belle Ogden Armour (1842-1927) and their son J. (Jonathan) Ogden Armour (1863-1927).
Business tycoon, captain of industry, philanthropist, the richest man in Chicago – all of these terms identify Philip Danforth Armour, Sr. The small meat-packing company he and his brothers purchased, Armour & Co., became the country's largest meat-packer with world-wide subsidiaries. He invested in, purchased, built and operated railroads, grain farms, banks, and by-product businesses.
P.D. Armour built an empire and a model of business practice for others to emulate. He also set a standard for philanthropy, a demonstration of how one man’s personal wealth could be redistributed to workers, residents, and citizens who purchased his products.
His specific beneficence to the city of Chicago came in the founding of Armour Institute, established with the intention of making quality education available to the young people willing to apply themselves to study.
When Armour Institute opened in 1893, the institute offered professional courses in engineering, chemistry, architecture and library science. IIT was created in 1940 by the merger of Armour Institute with Lewis Institute (est. 1895), a West Side Chicago college that offered liberal arts as well as science and engineering courses. The Institute of Design, founded in 1937, merged with IIT in 1949.