The Cooper Union Foundation Building and Great Hall

The Cooper Union Foundation Building was completed in 1859 as part of the institution founded by Peter Cooper (Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art). Its Great Hall hosted Abraham Lincoln's November 1860 Cooper Union Address, a speech credited with raising his national profile during the 1860 presidential campaign. The Foundation Building has served as a long-running public forum for lectures, debates, and civic events since the 19th century.