Harrington College of Design: A Legacy of Design Education in Chicago
Harrington College of Design, formerly Harrington Institute of Interior Design, was a for-profit institution located in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Although it closed its doors in 2015, its history and contributions to design education remain significant. The college offered programs leading to associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees in interior design, digital photography, and communication design. Each program was credentialed with multiple levels of accreditation.
Founding and Early Years
Harrington College of Design traces its origins to 1931, when interior designer Frances Harrington established the Frances Harrington Institution of Interior Decoration in Chicago. Harrington, originally from New York, had traveled to the city to deliver a series of lectures on interior design for professionals, which evolved into a formal educational institution amid growing demand during the Great Depression.
In its early years during the 1930s and 1940s, the institution focused exclusively on interior decoration and design, offering practical diploma programs initially for day students and later expanding to evening sessions. These programs emphasized hands-on training in interior design principles, reflecting Harrington's expertise and the era's economic recovery, where manufacturers sought distinctive product aesthetics to stimulate sales.
Transition and Expansion
Frances Harrington retired in 1959, after which her former student Robert Marks assumed leadership of the institution. Under Marks, the school was renamed the Harrington Institute of Interior Design, marking a transitional phase while preserving its foundational commitment to design education. Marks added many programs and degree options to the school's curriculum.
Pedagogy evolved significantly post-2003, when the institution rebranded from Harrington Institute of Interior Design to Harrington College of Design following acquisition by Career Education Corporation, shifting from a traditional focus on interior design to a multimedia scope that included digital photography and communication design. The school moved to a new location at 200 W. Madison Street and mandated an annual 20% enrollment increase, which it were able to sustain for a few years until the economy faltered and then crashed in 2008.
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Academics and Accreditation
Harrington College of Design offered associate's, bachelor's, and master's degree programs primarily in interior design, digital photography, and communication design, with a strong emphasis on preparing students for professional careers in these fields. The curriculum at Harrington College of Design emphasized practical, professional preparation in design fields, with programs structured around semester-based coursework that integrated creative and technical skills.
Students engaged in hands-on pedagogy through studio work, project-based learning, and training with digital tools such as Adobe Photoshop for tasks like professional medium-format digital capture in photography and layout design in communication programs. Technological infrastructure emphasized tools for digital workflows, particularly in photography and communication design programs. Computer labs featured advanced setups with specialized imaging software, alongside access to lenses, strobes, and other equipment for professional-grade projects.
Industry integration was a core element, with curriculum changes guided by input from the school's professional Advisory Board and design industry organizations, alongside student chapters of groups such as the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). These ensured alignment with real-world standards, incorporating advisory feedback to refine program content and providing access to professional networks for student development.
The college also held national accreditation from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), which covered its associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs. ACICS recognition focused on the vocational and career-oriented aspects of Harrington's offerings, ensuring alignment with federal eligibility for student aid. Harrington was recognized as a private college by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and was authorized by the IBHE to confer associate, baccalaureate and master's degrees.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Interior Design program at Harrington College of Design received accreditation from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA, formerly the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research or FIDER) from August 1994 until December 2016, ensuring alignment with professional standards for interior design education. This accreditation affirmed the program's rigorous curriculum, preparing graduates for entry into the profession through comprehensive coverage of design theory, technical skills, and ethical practices.
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Campus and Resources
Harrington College of Design's primary campus was situated at 200 West Madison Street in Chicago, Illinois, within the city's central Loop district. The exact coordinates of the site are 41°52′56″N 87°38′04″W. Previously located in the Fine Arts Building at 410 S. Michigan Avenue, the college relocated to this site in 2002.
The campus occupied a six-story vertical building spanning approximately 82,000 square feet (7,600 m²). Designed as a compact, multi-level facility, it featured a layout optimized for design education. Three floors of the campus were a display space, designed to hold a mix of classrooms, galleries and offices. Classrooms at Harrington were designed to facilitate practical design education, with dedicated studios for hands-on projects in interior design, commercial photography, and communication design. These included display and gallery spaces integrated across multiple floors to showcase student work and support collaborative exhibitions. Faculty and administrative office spaces were incorporated into the campus structure to provide dedicated support for academic advising and program coordination.
Harrington College of Design maintained an extensive library to support its design-focused curriculum, featuring specialized collections in architecture, interior design, furniture, and fine arts. Established alongside the institution in 1931 and expanded in 1959 under librarian Robert Marks, the library housed materials dating from as early as 1000 B.C.
Closure and Legacy
Harrington College of Design (1931-2015) was a for-profit college in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois, US, that closed in 2015. In response to the closure, Harrington entered into a merger agreement with Columbia College Chicago to facilitate a smooth transition for its approximately 360 remaining students. Under the arrangement, bachelor's degree students had the option to transfer to Columbia College Chicago to complete their programs and receive Columbia degrees, with nearly 145 enrolling for Fall 2015 and all credits transferring seamlessly.
Following its closure in 2015, Harrington's legacy persists through the transfer of its Special Collections-comprising historical books, magazines, and slides on architecture, interior decoration, furniture, and graphic design spanning 1902 to 2012-to Columbia College Chicago, where the materials now support ongoing research, teaching, and study in art and design history. This acquisition, alongside teach-out programs that enabled students to complete degrees at Columbia, preserved institutional resources and facilitated the continued impact of Harrington-trained professionals in the field.
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Other Educational Institutions
Support the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. Majors in Studio Art, Graphic Design, Dance, Theatre and Musical Theatre. Various emphases in Art and Theatre available. Majors in Communication Studies (various emphases available), Digital Communication & Media (Digital Media and Digital Journalism), and Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication (Public Relations & Advertising concentrations). Majors in English, Spanish, and English & Language Arts Education. Major in Music with emphasis in Performance, Music Therapy, Composition, and Music Industry.
Throughout its 40+ year history, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) has evaluated the interior design programs of hundreds of colleges and universities throughout North America. It is important to note that not all programs seeking accreditation (or reaccreditation) are accepted. The list below details the nearly 200 programs that have been accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation since its inception.
CIDA provides quality assurance for interior design education by accrediting programs that lead to a specific degree, diploma, or certificate. If an institution has a CIDA-accredited program, that accreditation status does not automatically extend to the same degree program delivered on a separate campus, or to a different degree program on the same campus or within the same department. CIDA always publishes the name of the accredited degree. Programs may lose and regain accredited status, and in some cases, degree names change over time. The history of the program’s period(s) of accreditation is below the degree name. These dates represent the beginning and end date or current status of a program’s accreditation. All currently accredited programs are accredited at the professional level and culminate in a bachelor’s or professional-level master’s degree.
Schools are listed alphabetically. Central Michigan University, Mt. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL B.S. and B.A. Maryville University of St. Louis, St. Scottsdale Community College, Scottsdale, AZ AAS plus Professional Certificate in Int. St. Stephen F. University of Minnesota, St. University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI B.S. - Design Studies (formerly B.S.
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