John Brown House (Providence, Rhode Island)

Infobox_nrhp | name =John Brown House
nrhp_type =nhl


caption = Front elevation and west profile in 2008
location= 52 Power St., Providence, Rhode Island
lat_degrees = 41
lat_minutes = 49
lat_seconds = 22
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 71
long_minutes = 24
long_seconds = 16
long_direction = W
locmapin = Rhode Island
area =
built =1786
architect= Brown,Joseph
architecture= Georgian
designated= November 24, 1968cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=764&ResourceType=Building
title=John Brown House |accessdate=2008-02-21|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = November 24, 1968cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Rhode Island Historical Society
refnum=68000007The John Brown House is the first mansion built in Providence, Rhode Island. It is located along Power Street on College Hill, which is adjacent to the borders of Brown University. The house is named after the original owner and one of the early benefactors of the University, the early American merchant and statesman John Brown. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1968.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/68000007.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: John Brown House] |32 KB|date=February 25, 1975 |author=Patricia Heintzelman |publisher=National Park Service and PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/68000007.pdf "Accompanying 11 photos, exterior and interior, from 1967 and 1974"] |32 KB]

"John Quincy Adams was so impressed by the house that he called it 'the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent.'"

History

The original structure was built in 1786 by John Brown [cite book |title=Old Providence: A Collection of Facts and Traditions Relating to Various|year=1918|publisher=Merchants National Bank of Providence|location=http://books.google.com/books?id=9F0BAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA32&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=0_0#PPA32,M1] . Notable guests during this time include George Washington, who is reported to have visited for tea. The house was sold in 1901 to the prominent Rhode Island industrialist and banker Marsden J. Perry. Under Marsden's supervision, the extension was renovated to add in modern bathrooms and central heating systems.

In 1976, the Brown family donated the house to the Rhode Island Historical Society for preservation. The house was restored to its original colonial decor. The museum now contains many original furniture pieces provided by the Brown family estate.

External links

* [http://www.rihs.org/Museums.html Rhode Island Historical Society - John Brown House]

References