Philanthropist and
merchant George Peabody (1795–1869) founded the institute in 1857 and opened it in 1866 with a bequest of about $800,000. This sum, from his personal fortune, was amassed initially in Massachusetts and later augmented in Baltimore (where he lived and worked from 1815 to 1835). It vastly increased through banking and finance during following residences in New York City and London, where he became the wealthiest American of his time. Completion of the white marble
Grecian-
Italianate west wing, the original building housing the institute, designed by
Edmund George Lind, was delayed by the
Civil War. It was dedicated in 1866, with Peabody, having traveled across the North
Atlantic Ocean, speaking at the ceremonies on the front steps in front of the
Washington Monument circle before a large audience of notaries and citizens including hundreds of assembled pupils from the Baltimore City Public Schools. Under the direction of well-known musicians, composers, conductors, and Peabody alumni, the conservatory, concerts, lecture series, library and art gallery, along with the "Peabody Prizes" (an annual awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals with certificates and cash to top graduates of the city), attracted a considerable national attention to the Institute and the city's growing culture. Under strong academic leadership, the Peabody evolved into an internationally renowned cultural and literary center through the late 19th and the 20th centuries, especially after a major expansion in 1877–1878, with the completion of its eastern half housing the
George Peabody Library with five stacked tiers of wrought iron balconies holding book stacks(shelves), surmounted by a beveled glass skylight, one of the most beautiful and distinctive libraries in the U.S. The 1878 east wing on East Mount Vernon Place, containing the affiliated George Peabody Library, joined the other rows of townhouses, mansions, art gallery, clubs, hotels, and churches around the
Washington Monument which developed into the
Mount Vernon neighborhood on the former estate of
Revolutionary War commander
John Eager Howard. The institute grew from a local academy, with an art and sculpture gallery, public lecture series, and the extensive reference library which, although non-circulating, predated the first public library system in America. The library was created and endowed in 1882 by Peabody's friend
Enoch Pratt. In turn, both Peabody and Pratt inspired the expansive philanthropic efforts of Scottish-American steel tycoon
Andrew Carnegie. In 1955, Peabody inaugurated a
sacred music department led by Arthur Howes, which is now defunct.Its
electronic music department, founded by composer
Jean Eichelberger Ivey in 1967, was the first in any American conservatory, and remains the home of two historic
Moog modular synthesizers from its first decade in operation. In 1978, Peabody began working with Baltimore's
Johns Hopkins University under an affiliation agreement.In 1985, the institute officially became a constituent school of Johns Hopkins. Peabody is one of 156 schools in the United States that offers a
Doctorate of Musical Arts degree. It houses two libraries: the historical
George Peabody Library (originally the Peabody Institute Library) established when the Institute opened in 1866, renowned for its collection of 19th-century and other rare books; and an additional music reference academic library, the
Arthur Friedheim Library (named for the Russian-born pianist/ conductor), that includes more than 100,000 books, scores, and recordings. The conservatory was later supplemented by a preparatory school and auditorium. "Peabody Prizes" are awarded to top high school graduates beginning the following year at commencement exercises and continued for 122 years as an annual tradition with public announcements to city media. Additional structures along East Centre Street and Saint Paul Street, including a parking garage and two
dormitory towers, were constructed in 1971. During the early 1990s, several remaining townhouses on East Mount Vernon Place to the east intersection with St. Paul were acquired and rebuilt, along with other townhouses with distinctive iron scrollwork balconies facing North Charles Street to the south. This enabled The Peabody to round out its tight campus of attached buildings to the entire city block bounded by Charles (Washington Place), Monument (Mount Vernon Place), St. Paul, and Centre Streets. The Peabody campus is included in the
Mount Vernon Place Historic District, which was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places and designated a
National Historic Landmark District in 1971. The main building on Mount Vernon Place, built during 1857-1878, was designated a
Baltimore City Landmark on October 14, 1975. ==Preparatory==