Early History
The history of Wagner begins over one hundred years ago in 1883 upon the founding of the Lutheran Proseminary in Rochester, NY. With six students and Reverend Alexander Richter as its first director, the school began its mission of training future Lutheran ministers. Wagner received the name it bears today shortly after its founding. With $12,000 for a new campus, John G. Wagner and his wife provided this new name as a memorial to their son, George Wagner, a Lutheran ministerial student who had died before realizing his own ambition to become a minister.
As the school grew in reputation and size, the New York Ministerium, in control of Wagner since 1888, recognized the need to find a new home for the institution and placed Reverend Dr. Frederic Sutter, one of Wagner's first graduates, in charge of the relocation. Reverend Sutter, to become a long time supporter of Wagner College throughout his life, was then in the process of establishing his own ministry on Staten Island. Through his efforts, Wagner College relocated to Grymes Hill on Staten Island in 1918. Reverend Sutter could not have chosen a more beautiful site for this new beginning. The new campus found a home on the site of the 38-acre former 19th century estate of Sir Edward Cunard, of the shipping and cruise line. This breathtaking site overlooks the New York harbor, Manhattan and the Atlantic Ocean, an ideal location for the start of Wagner's modern history.
Modern History
With Wagner's move to Staten Island came a new era in the history of the College. Wagner College became well known for its liberal arts curriculum and as a result, grew in enrollment. Construction of a new academic building began in 1928 (see the above photo of the dedication ceremony in 1929, Pastor Sutter is on the right side of platform) to accommodate this growth, providing classroom space for these new students. Main Hall remains today Wagner's most picturesque building. The lawn in front of Main Hall was christened Sutter Oval in gratitude for Reverend Sutter's important contributions to and support of the College. Sutter gymnasium (now part of the newly constructed Spiro Sports Center) was added next to Main Hall in 1951.
The college community grew again in 1933 when women joined Wagner for the first time. By this time, Wagner had become a well-established institution on Staten Island, and deservedly gained a reputation as such. During the 1940's, another of Staten Island's famous residents distinguished the College with a gift. Well-known poet Edwin Markham (made famous worldwide for his "Man With the Hoe") willed his entire library of over 10,000 volumes to Wagner. This collection is housed today as part of Wagner's permanent collection, in Reynold's House and attests to the life and skill of this great poet and life long resident of Staten Island.
Over the next three decades, Wagner embarked on an aggressive building campaign to keep pace with the growth of its academic reputation and enrollment. Wagner's three residence halls, Guild Hall, Harbor View and Towers now house students from over thirty different states and 10 different countries. Megerle Hall and Spiro Communications Center house science and computer labs and one of only three planetariums in New York City open to the public. Our nationally recognized Theatre program showcases the talents of Wagner's students in the main theatre in Main Hall and our new studio theatre. Wagner's Division I athletic programs highlight our students' achievements in 21 sports. Wagner's most recent additions, Spiro Sports Center, a 90,000 square foot facility, and the new Football Stadium continue to attract the community, alumni and friends of the College to the campus.
In fall 1998 Wagner instituted a new curriculum, The Wagner Plan, and the latest piece of Wagner's history began. This newest addition to the liberal arts core curriculum is designed to enhance our academic program by combining practical experience and classroom learning. We call this program "Learning by Doing". Our curriculum has already brought Wagner much attention, and has been cited by the American Association of Colleges and Universities as a national case study exemplar.
Today over 2000 students in over 30 academic programs and four graduate departments form the Wagner community. Today, Wagner is ranked by US News and World Report in the "Top Tier" of Northern Universities, continuing its tradition of academic excellence into the next century.
Grymes Hill
Wagner College is intimately connected to Grymes Hill, the community to which it belongs today, and its history is tied to that of the borough of Staten Island and the city of New York. Staten Island has always played an important role in the history of the New York Harbor. Looking out over the harbor of New York from Grymes Hill today, it is easy to imagine why so many of New York's wealthiest families chose this location on which to build their estates and country homes. As Sir Edward Cunard sat on the front porch of his mansion (Wagner's Cunard Hall) looking out over the harbor, he must have recognized the perfect symmetry of this area for his family. Cunard literally "watched his ships come in" everyday from his magnificent mansion, which served in the late 19th century as one of the social centers for the Staten Island elite.
Other prominent families resided on Grymes Hill during its history. Cornelius Vanderbilt started out on Staten Island; in fact, Wagner's current 105-acre campus encompasses 16 acres of the former Vanderbilt estate. The Horrmann family, owners of a large brewery and one of the brewer baron families on Staten Island, also built an estate on Grymes Hill, which became known as the Horrmann Castle (Wagner's Horrmann Library reflects the importance of this family to the area). For many years, this huge landmark stood as a testament to the wealth and extravagance of these earlier elite residents of Grymes Hill. And in fact, Grymes Hill derives its name from the first of these residents to settle here, Suzette Grymes, who called her mansion Capo di Monte and who built two great homes for her son and daughter along Howard Avenue.
The Grymes Hill of today retains much of the character of this earlier time. The beauty of the views has not diminished over the decades, and visitors to Wagner College today marvel at the sweeping views of the New York Harbor which greet them as they enter the campus. New York Harbor today is filled with the same multitude of activity that characterized it in the 19th century. Many of the large houses that were built in the early part of this century remain along Howard Avenue, and many more great homes have been added. Wagner College has helped to maintain the open character of the Hill; its 105 acres provide the neighborhood with open green areas that are sometimes difficult to find in New York City. Wagner's historic buildings blend seamlessly into this beautiful area. As visitors walk around the campus today, it is easy for them to see that many of Sir Edward Cunard's reasons for settling here still exist. Grymes Hill remains today one of the most breathtaking neighborhoods of New York City.
