Nightingale-Brown House - Providence, Rhode Island
Posted by: Hikenutty
N 41° 49.344 W 071° 24.197
19T E 300406 N 4632849
Built in 1792 for Captain Joseph Nightingale, the Nightingale-Brown House was one of five mansions constructed on Providence's College Hill shortly after the Revolutionary War. In 1814 it was purchased by the wealthy investor, Nicholas Brown Jr.
Waymark Code: WM3QPW
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 05/06/2008
Views: 38
Built in 1792 for Captain Joseph Nightingale, the Nightingale-Brown House was one of five mansions constructed on Providence's College Hill shortly after the Revolutionary War. In 1814, wealthy investor and industrialist Nicholas Brown Jr. purchased the home from Nightingale's heirs, the first of five generations of the Brown family to live in the house.
The Nightingale-Brown House now includes additions built for scholar and bibliophile John Carter Brown by architects Thomas Tefft (1853) and Richard Upjohn (1862-64). The landscape was designed for John's wife Sophia in 1890, by the Boston landscape design firm of Frederick Law Olmsted.
During the 1920s, John Nicholas Brown, redecorated the house in the Colonial Revival style using traditional American motifs. John Nicholas's interests included architecture and historic preservation, art, history, sailing, and philanthropy.
In 1985, work began to transform the Browns' ancestral home into a building meeting the practical realities of public use. The building's painstaking renovation took nearly eight years to complete. During the mid-point of the renovation in 1989, the Nightingale-Brown House became a National Historic Landmark. In 1993 the John Nicholas Brown Center for the Study of American Civilization, located within the Nightingale-Brown House, officially opened to the public. Two years later, in 1995, the Center became part of Brown University.
Earliest Recorded Date of Construction: 01/01/1792
Additional Dates of Construction: 1985 - renovation
Thomas Tefft and Richard Upjohn made additions in 1853 and 1864, respectively
Architectural Period/Style: Georgian Style
Landscape Designer (if known): 1890 - Frederick Law Olmsted
Type of Building e.g. Country House, Stately Home, Manor: Stately Home
Interesting Historical Facts or Connections: Home of the Brown Family, founders of Brown University. Now part of the college.
Listed Building Status (if applicable): National Historic Landmark
Main Material of Construction: Wood
Private/Public Access: Public
Opening Hours (if applicable): From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Related Website: [Web Link]
Rating:
Architect (if known): Not listed
Admission Fee (if applicable): Not Listed
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