History and Mission

 



HISTORY OF THE BCAE

Founded in 1933, the Boston Center for Adult Education is the oldest, nonprofit adult education center in New England. Its founder, Miss Dorothy Hewitt, envisioned a place where "small groups of men and women would meet together in living room settings to learn, discuss, and create for the sheer pleasure of doing so."

Most BCAE classes are held in the historic Gamble Mansion at 5 Commonwealth Avenue. Built in 1904, the mansion was the home of Mr. And Mrs. Walter Baylies and their six children until 1936. The opulent Louis XV style ballroom was built for Charlotte Baylies's 16th birthday. In 1941, the building was purchased by the BCAE and today remains home to BCAE administrative offices and to nearly 20,000 students annually.

Throughout its history, the BCAE has remained responsive to the demands of a diverse community, as well as to the evolving demands of the individual. Whether serving as a site for volunteer wartime efforts in the 1940s, a haven for social policy debate in the 1960s, or a resource for personal and professional growth as one navigates through the new millennium, the BCAE meets the challenges of a thriving urban community.

MISSION OF THE BCAE

The Boston Center for Adult Education seeks to provide educational opportunities for adults that foster personal and professional development, enhance a sense of community, and encourage social responsibility. In pursuit of these goals, the Center:

  • Offers courses and programs responsive to adults' emerging needs;
  • Foster cross-cultural understanding through courses, collaborations, and other outreach efforts;
  • Provides access to information and ideas that help create an enlightened and involved citizenry;
  • Enlists the support of well-qualified leaders, staff, and volunteers who share our mission; and,
  • Offers attractive, accessible facilities, appropriate for learning and sharing ideas as a low-cost alternative to other educational programs so as to merit the continuing respect, cooperation, and support of Boston's educational, philanthropic, corporate, and neighborhood communities

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Boston Center for Adult Education
5 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
617 267 4430