Brockport in Monroe County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Higher Education - State University of New York College at Brockport
Dr. Ernest C. Hartwell, the spirit of Brockport Higher Education
Photographed by Bradley Owen, July 7, 2026
1. Higher Education - State University of New York College at Brockport Marker
1. Ernest C. Hartwell (1936-44) presided over the conversion of the Normal School into a college, thereby beginning the transition into today's modern comprehensive college.
2. A Baptist College began here in 1835 on land donated by Hiel Brockway, cofounder of Brockport. The Brockport Collegiate Institute (BCI), a prep school with teacher training, used the same building (A) from 1841 until it burned in 1854.
3. The Village of Brockport erected a new building (B) to house the BCI. After the Civil War, New York State established a system of "normal schools" with two or three-year programs to train school teachers. Brockport State Normal School was founded in 1867 as part of the original system. By 1902 major building additions had been made (C).
4. The Normal School building (D) was demolished in 1940 after Hartwell Hall was completed in front of it (D, E). The institution became a four-year State Teachers College in 1942.
5. In 1948, the State Teachers Colleges became part of the newly-created State University of New York. The state agreed with the private colleges that SUNY would not offer liberal arts courses
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6. This home, the oldest building on campus, was built about 1870 for Brockport merchant Edward Harrison. The Normal School acquired it in 1898 and used it for the Principal's (later, President's) residence until 1964. After that, it housed the Department of English (1964-67) and served as a dining facility (1967-72). Since 1972, the stately building has been known as Alumni House, home to the Brockport Alumni Association.
7. In 1959, Governor Nelson Rockefeller undertook to convert SUNY into a full-scale, comprehensive university system. Brockport became one of the System's State University Colleges in 1961.
8. Starting in the mid-1960s President Albert W. Brown transformed the school into a comprehensive college with a broad range of liberal arts and professional degree programs, and implemented an immense building program. Enrollment grew from about 2,900, eventually stabilizing at about 8,600. Under the leadership of John E. Van de Wetering, Paul Yu, John R. Halstead and Heidi Macpherson the College continues to flourish into the 21st century, playing a vital role in the educational, cultural and economic
Photographed by Bradley Owen, July 7, 2026
2. Higher Education - State University of New York College at Brockport Marker
9. The 1872 Normal School (in red, above) is dwarfed by the 2016 State University of New York College at Brockport campus (below).
(Captions):
A. The building that housed first the Baptist College, then the Brockport Collegiate Institute.
B. The new Brockport Collegiate Institute building.
C. The same BCI building as it looked in 1902, with south and north wings (SW, NW) and the North and East Buildings (NB, EB) added.
D. The State Normal and Training School (left), with Hartwell Hall under construction (right).
E. Hartwell Hall as it looked from the northeast in 2007.
(Center Chart):
Events/Buildings
1829 Village of Brockport Incorporated
Sept. 1835 Baptist College opens; closes in 1837
Dec. 1, 1841 Same building reopens as BCI
Apr. 2, 1854 Building burns
Dec. 23, 1856 New building dedicated
1867-1869 Wings added
1888 North Building completed
1902 East Building (Training School) completed
June 4, 1941 Hartwell Hall dedicated
Campus expansion starts after World War II, then greatly accelerates during the 1960s
Institutions
1841-1867 Brockport Collegiate Institute
1867-1936 State Normal and Training School at Brockport
1936-1942 Brockport State Normal School
1942-1959 State Teachers College at Brockport
1961-1980 State University College at Brockport
1980-present State University of New York College at Brockport
Principals / Presidents
(1) First of the Principals
(2) Last Principal, first President
Zenas Morse (1)
Julius Bates (1)
Oliver Morehouse
Jacob C. Tooker
John G.K. Truair
N.P. Stanton
David Burbank
P.J. Williams
Malcolm MacVicar
Charles D. McLean
David Eugene Smith
Charles T. McFarlane
Alfred C. Thompson
Ernest C. Hartwell (2)
Donald M. Tower
Gordon F. Allen (Acting)
Albert W. Brown
John Van de Wetering
Paul Yu
John B. Clark (Interim)
John R. Halstead
Heidi Macpherson
Erected 2016 by The Brockport Community Museum Exterior Sign Committee and The College at Brockport.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.
Location. 43° 12.714′ N, 77° 56.612′ W. Marker is in Brockport, New York, in Monroe County. It is at the intersection of Utica Street and College Street, on the left when traveling north on Utica Street. Marker is located in front of Hartwell Hall on the campus of State University of New York at Brockport. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 75 College Street, Brockport NY 14420, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York, specifically in Western New York, in the Finger Lakes, and in the Rochester Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Site Of (a few steps from this marker); Fannie Barrier Williams (a few steps from this marker); Helen Fabi Smagorinsky (within shouting distance of this marker); Mary Jane Holmes (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Monika W. Andrews Children's Park (about 700 feet away); "Putting Veterans First" Department of Veteran Affairs (approx. 0.2 miles away); Local Hospitals (approx. 0.2 miles away); Brockport West Side Historic District (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brockport.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 5, 2026, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.
