Newark, NEW JERSEY - Normal School - 1924 - Noe Kean University - ARCHITECTURE: Kean University was founded in April 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, as the Newark Normal School, a Saturday morning school initially established for the exclusive purpose of being a teacher education college for the educators of the city of Newark. The university was founded by Stephen Congar, Newark’s Superintendent of Schools, who founded the Newark Normal School with the goal of ensuring the continued improvement of the city’s schools through quality teaching. The Normal School was designed to improve the skills of the teachers that Congar correctly viewed as lacking in formal training . Newark Normal School was the first Normal School created in New Jersey, and one of the earliest in the nation. The inaugural class consisted of 85 students, mostly women and Newark High School alumni. In 1863 the Normal School students became formally required to teach in Newark Public Schools after graduation. In 1913 the state took control of the college and the school was renamed the New Jersey State Normal School at Newark. The school moved to a new building at Fourth Avenue and Belleville Avenue ( now known as Broadway). In 1937 the college was renamed the New Jersey State Teachers College at Newark and remained in the Broadway building until 1958, when it moved to the current Union, New Jersey campus. In 1959, the institution changed its name to Newark State College completing its transformation from a college of education to a comprehensive institute of higher education. 1973 marked the year Newark State College became Kean College of New Jersey. On September 26, 1997, Kean College became Kean University. This White Border Era postcard, mailed in 1924, is in good condition, but shows some edge wear. Photo & Art Postal Card Co.