Home of the Bears
Brown University
University Hall, built in 1770, is one of only seven college buildings in the United States still standing from before the American Revolution.
- 4Buildings
- 2Traditions
- 1770Oldest · University Hall
- 1964Newest · Rockefeller Library
Campus map and Look Around
Tap a numbered pin to see that building from the street with Apple Look Around.
Planning the visit
- Fly intoRhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD)
T. F. Green is in Warwick, about 20 minutes south of College Hill. Boston Logan is roughly an hour and a half away by car or train.
- Getting aroundWalking / RIPTA buses
Brown sits on steep College Hill above downtown Providence and is easiest to explore on foot. RIPTA buses connect the hill with downtown and the train station.
- Colors and teams
Students call the John Hay Library simply 'the Hay'.
4 buildings to stamp
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Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons University Hall
The College Green, Providence, RI 02912
Brown's first building, raised in 1770 and once the largest building in Rhode Island. Framed by the Van Wickle Gates, this Georgian hall is called one of the icons of early American college architecture.
- Built
- 1770
- Architect
- Built by Nicholas Brown and Company
- Style
- Georgian
- Today
- University administration
-
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sayles Hall
The College Green, Providence, RI 02912
A rock-faced granite hall with brownstone trim, built in 1879–1881 in memory of a student who died young. Under its pine roof trusses sits the largest surviving Hutchings-Votey organ of its type, played at a midnight Halloween concert each year.
- Built
- 1881
- Architect
- Alpheus C. Morse
- Style
- Richardsonian Romanesque
- Today
- Lecture and assembly hall
-
Photo: Filetime, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons John Hay Library
20 Prospect St, Providence, RI 02912
Funded by Andrew Carnegie and named for his friend, Secretary of State John Hay, this white Vermont marble library opened in 1910 across from the Van Wickle Gates. It now keeps Brown's rare books, manuscripts and archives.
- Built
- 1910
- Architect
- Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
- Style
- Beaux-Arts
- Today
- Rare books and special collections
-
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Rockefeller Library
10 Prospect St, Providence, RI 02912
Brown's main library, completed in 1964, is a bold Brutalist counterpoint to the marble John Hay Library across Prospect Street.
- Built
- 1964
- Architect
- Warner, Burns, Toan & Lunde
- Style
- Brutalist
- Today
- University library
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2 traditions to check off
Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.
Van Wickle Gates
The centre Van Wickle Gates open only for Convocation and Commencement, and superstition says a student who passes through them more than twice will not graduate. Visitors can see the 1901 wrought-iron gates on Prospect Street and walk through the side gates instead.
Bronze Bruno
A seven-foot bronze of Bruno, Brown's bear mascot, stands on the College Green on a pedestal holding a slate rock said to be one Roger Williams stepped on in 1636. Stop by for a photo with the mascot.
Know Brown University well?
Students and alumni know the traditions best. Suggest one we're missing, a building worth a stamp, or a fix. Every suggestion is checked against a source before it goes into the app.
Stamp all 4 on your visit.
Tour Brown University in 3D before you go, add it to a college road trip and earn a passport stamp at every building. Free on iPhone and iPad.
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