John Brown House (Providence, Rhode Island)

For similarly named houses, see John Brown House (disambiguation).

The John Brown House borders the campus of Brown University at 52 Power Street on College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island. Completed in 1788, it was the first mansion to be built in Providence and is named after its first owner, John Brown, a statesman, merchant, slave trader, and early benefactor of the University.

John Brown House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property
The building in 2020
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Interactive map showing the location of John Brown House
Location	52 Power St., Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°49′23″N 71°24′12″W
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1786/1788
Architect	Joseph Brown
Architectural style	late-Georgian (Federal)
Part of	College Hill Historic District (ID70000019)
NRHP reference No.	68000007
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 24, 1968[1]
Designated NHL	November 24, 1968[2]
Designated NHLDCP	November 10, 1970

The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968.^[2][3]

The American president John Quincy Adams called it "the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent."^[3]

History

The building was designed by John Brown's brother Joseph, an amateur architect who had also designed the First Baptist Church in America.^[4] It was built between 1786 and 1788.^[4] Notable guests during this time include George Washington, who is reported to have visited for tea. Brown was an admirer of Washington, modeling this house on Mount Vernon and commissioning a mural of Washington's inauguration in one of the rooms. The carriage house of the Brown House contains a chariot owned by Brown and purportedly used by Washington during a visit to Providence.^[5]

The house was sold in 1901 to Rhode Island industrialist and banker Marsden J. Perry. Perry renovated the extension to add modern bathrooms and central heating systems. John Nicholas Brown purchased it in 1936. In 1942, the Brown family donated the house to the Rhode Island Historical Society for preservation,^[3] and the society restored it to its original colonial decor. The museum now contains many original furniture pieces provided by the Brown family estate.

Events

Concert Under the Elms

The lawn of the John Brown House is the setting for the Rhode Island Historical Society's annual summer concert series "Concerts Under the Elms." The concerts feature a variety of mostly local music talent, ranging from Big Band to Latin Jazz to folk, oldies, and more. Local food trucks provide meals.^[6][7]

Description

The house is a three-story brick structure with a hipped roof topped by a flat section. Both the main roof line and the flat section are ringed by a low balustrade. Four chimneys rise from the sides of the house, and its main entrance is in a center projecting section topped by a small triangular pediment. The entry is sheltered by a portico supported by sandstone Doric columns, and there is a Palladian window above the portico. The interior of the house follows a traditional Georgian plan, with a central hallway flanked by two rooms on either side. The hall is particularly grand, with engaged columns supporting architectural busts and a two-stage stairwell with an ornate twisting banister. Richly detailed woodwork is evident in all of the public rooms. Eleven of the building's twelve mantelpieces are original.^[3]

Gallery

• 
  The house photographed in 1906
• 
  The building's facade in 2020
• 
  These busts, representing summer and winter, were reportedly taken from Versailles during the French Revolution
• 
  A plaque in front of the building was updated by the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society to reflect John Brown's involvement in the slave trade

See also

• Rhode Island portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island
• List of National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. "John Brown House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
3. Patricia Heintzelman (February 25, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: John Brown House" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 11 photos, exterior and interior, from 1967 and 1974 (32 KB)
4. "NRHP Nomination Form". National park Service. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
5. Nathaniel Philbrick (2021). Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy. Viking. pp. xi–xii.
6. Chaput, Lynne (June 24, 2013). "'Concerts Under the Elms' kicks off Thursday, June 27, at Providence's John Brown House Museum". The Providence Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
7. ""Timeless" Under the Elms TODAY – John Brown House". RINewsToday. July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2023.

External links

• Media related to John Brown House (Providence, Rhode Island) at Wikimedia Commons
• Rhode Island Historical Society - John Brown House
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. RI-75, "John Brown House, 52 Power Street, Providence, Providence County, RI", 16 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page, supplemental material