Brown University is probably one of Rhode Island's most referenced landmarks. In television, books, and movies, characters are constantly dreaming about attending Brown, or succeeding at it. As one of the Ivy Leagues, this makes a lot of sense, so many people wish for nothing more than to attend one of these seven prestigious schools. While it may seem like Brown has always been the massive monolith that it is, in fact, the school used to only have one building for their students.
Officially founded in 1764, Brown gained notoriety quickly as the first of the Ivy Leagues to accept students of all religions.
The third college in Rhode Island, and only the seventh in the entire country, Brown University was first known as Rhode Island College.
Before the school got its first building, they had their first student, a fourteen year old by the name of Williams Roger. He studied at the Baptist Church in Warren.
The college received its current name after a gift from the Brown family. This gift would go on the influence Browns location in Providence and the construction of the universities first building.
Brown's first building was originally called College Edifice and now is known as University Hall. It was erected in 1770.
Enrollment at the college did not reach over 100 students until the tail end of the 1800's, so for a long time, this one building was more than enough space for the population of the entire university.
The second building on campus didn't go up until 1820.
Of course now, Brown has over 8,000 students, so the campus now sprawls across the east side of Providence. It is nice to look back on those humble beginnings though!
The history of Brown University is quite in depth and very interesting, even if you are not studying there or intending to in the future. Brown's history illustrates a lot of the history of the state of Rhode Island and reading more about it can only help you understand the culture of little Rhody better. This timeline on the Brown University website can be a great place to start reading further.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!
