American Institute of the City of New York

The American Institute of the City of New York (or The American Institute of the City of New York for the Encouragement of Science and Invention) was a civic organization that existed from c. 1828 – c. 1980. The institute was an association of inventors. It organized exhibitions, lectures and radio broadcasts to inform the public about new technologies, and served as a locus for inventors' professional activities. The American Institute of the City of New York was chartered on 2 May 1829. Eventually, the American Institute was merged with the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) in the 1980s. The New-York Historical Society received 105 boxes of materials for safekeeping in the 1940s. A detailed index is available at the New-York Historical Society of the contents of each box. Additional materials were given to the New-York Historical Society by Mr. Kenneth Weissman, a trustee and officer of "The Institute" at the time of the merger with the NYAS.