Radial Expansion/Retraction Truss Structures,1991; Chuck Hoberman A’1979 (Hoberman Sphere)
Event ticket for the New York Electrical Society, Archives MG.004
Peter Cooper's Clarified Gelatine paper box, Archives MG.034.129
Alvin Marks' Solar Cooking Device For Backyard Barbecue
When it opened in 1859, The Cooper Union Library and Reading-Room was not just for students, but was accessible to anyone, of all genders, ages, races, and religions - no fees or letters of recommendation required – and kept late hours for the convenience of working people.
In 1873, the Reading-Room began collecting Patent Office reports. According to Cooper Union’s Annual Reports, these contained complete specifications and drawings along with index of inventors and inventions back to first issues.
Visitors to the Patent Room, or Patent Alcove, quickly grew to “several hundred every month,” and in 1875 the Board of Trustees decided to establish an accompanying Department of Consultation, staffed by Prof. Plympton (Professor of Philosophy, Mechanism and Astronomy) and Prof. Stone (Professor of Chemistry), to assist inventors and manufacturers of new processes.
Today, patents are searchable online (ask one of our librarians if you ever need assistance finding one!), but we believe that the spirit of invention still deserves to be celebrated in Alcove form.
The Patent Alcove exhibit opened August 2024, and is located next to the Cooper Union Library entrance.
This exhibit celebrates the inventive spirit of The Cooper Union, not just in the existence of the library’s 19th century Patent Alcove—which unlocked the process of invention for countless New Yorkers—but also in the interests and creations of people affiliated with the institution. Items in this exhibit include documentation of Peter Cooper’s inventions, alumni patents, student theses, New York Electrical Society event ephemera, and historic periodicals and books from the library’s special collections.
