Located at 1145 West Wilson Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood, the school was named in honor of Harry S. Truman, 33rd U.S. President and a proponent of public colleges and universities.
Interested in a more permanent situation for the program, community leaders acquired a former elementary school campus in 1961 and enrolled 4,000 students in day and night classes.
Further growth led to the construction of its present campus on West Wilson Avenue, opening its doors in 1976, naming the school after U.S. President Truman.
In Season 1 of the NBC television drama Chicago Fire, Leon Cruz (played by Jeff Lima) enrolls at Truman College.
In Tracy Letts' play "Superior Donuts" the character Franco attends Truman College.