High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Founded in 1857 by philanthropist George Peabody, it was the first academy of music to be established in the United States. Completion of the Grecian-Italian building housing the Institute, designed by Edmund George Lind, was delayed until 1866 due to the Civil War. Under the direction of well-known musicians, composers, conductors, and Peabody alumni, the Institute grew from a local academy to an internationally renowned cultural center throughout the late 19th and the 20th centuries.