John Brown House (Providence, Rhode Island)
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.
The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968.
The American president John Quincy Adams called it "the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent."
History
The building was designed by John Brown's brother Joseph, an amateur architect who had also designed the First Baptist Church in America. It was built between 1786 and 1788. 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.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, and the society restored it to its original colonial decor. The museum now contains many original furniture pieces provided by the Brown family estate.