Herbert H. Lehman College, established in 1968 as an independent unit of the City University of New York, took over the campus that since 1931 had served as the Bronx branch of Hunter College. Originally, only women students attended, taking their first two years of study at the Bronx campus and then transferring to Hunter's Manhattan campus to complete their undergraduate work.

Shortly after the United States entry into World War II, the students and faculty vacated the campus and turned over the facilities to the U.S. Navy, which used them as a training station for the newly organized WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). In 1946 the campus won a niche in world history when it was made available to the United Nations at the urging of City officials. From March to August 1946, the campus served as interim headquarters for the UN. In 1951 the campus became fully coeducational and a four-year curriculum was introduced.

The process of separating the Bronx campus from Hunter College into an independent unit began in 1967 and in 1968, Lehman College became the only public senior college in the Bronx. The Board of Higher Education named the new college after Herbert H. Lehman, in recognition of the commitment to public service exemplified by the four-time governor of New York State who later became a U.S. Senator. The campus is adjacent to the historic Jerome Park Reservoir, with original buildings completed in 1934 during the Great Depression under the auspices of the WPA. Today, Lehman College provides access to higher education for its urban population and has a strong commitment to educational excellence.