Its first home was at 262–66 Madison Street on the Lower East Side of New York City, on land lent by William B. Crosby, one of the first incorporators.

The cornerstone of a new building was laid August 29, 1838, and the institute was opened on May 6, 1839.

[2]An application for a full collegiate charter was made to the New York State Legislature, and granted April 11, 1867, expressly conferring on Rutgers all rights, powers, and privileges enjoyed by any college or university in the state, except the authority to grant medical or legal diplomas.

[2] By 1870, a branch had been established in Harlem, at the corner of Second Avenue and 124th Street.

[4] The college celebrated its 55th anniversary in 1894,[5] and ceased operations that same year.