Art Institute of Pittsburgh timeline
1921
Art Institute of Pittsburgh is founded in a single 500-square-foot room in the Fulton Building on Sixth Street, now home to the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel.
1969
Education Management Corp. buys Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
1971-1985
During the 1970s to the mid-1980s, EDMC grows through starting and acquiring eight additional schools. The company expands these schools by investing in facilities and equipment, upgrading and adding faculty, student services and new academic programs, and establishing a national marketing presence.
1996
The company completes an initial public offering, raising approximately $45 million.
2000
School moves to 420 Boulevard of the Allies, a building with 154,000 square feet and an illuminated lobby that showcased the work of students and alumni. Enrollment climbed toward 2,500.
2001
EDMC acquires Argosy, another chain of colleges.
2003
EDMC acquires South University.
2003
EDMC acquires chain of schools that would become Brown Mackie.
2006
EDMC is bought by consortium of private investors, including Providence Equity Partners, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Leeds Equity Partners, for $3.4 billion.
2007
The company files paperwork to go public once again.
2011-2015
EDMC, along with other for-profit colleges, is investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice on allegations of illegal recruiting tactics. Enrollment at the school steadily drops.
2015
EDMC announces 15 Art Institutes nationwide will close.
2015
EDMC settles DOJ investigation for nearly $100 million.
2016
EDMC announces move of Art Institute of Pittsburgh from Downtown to the Strip District.
2017
EDMC announces sale of 31 Art Institute campuses, as well as Argosy and South University, to Dream Center Education Holdings.
2018
EDMC files for bankruptcy and will liquidate.
2018
Dream Center Education Holdings announces closure of 18 Art Institute campuses, not including Pittsburgh.
2019
Dream Center Education Holdings submits plan to close Art Institute of Pittsburgh.