Brown Hall
Princeton University | Princeton, NJ
New Portal Improves Campus Connections
Our firm was asked to renovate the David B. Brown Hall at Princeton University, an upperclassmen residence hall that houses 134 students. The four-story brick and granite structure was designed in 1890 in the Renaissance Revival style by the Boston architect, John Lyman Faxon. A significant renovation in the 1970s added two concrete fire stairs in the building’s central courtyard.
Our work involved general infrastructure renovation, the modernization of student amenities and, most important for campus life, the creation of a new portal that connects the building’s interior courtyard to campus circulation paths to the south.
The courtyard was formerly accessible only at the north side of the building. To complement the building’s ornamental design elements, the new south portal design is inspired by the existing arched opening on the north.
The new portal is constructed of salvaged and new granite to unify the south opening with the existing façade. The addition of the new portal improves Brown Hall’s connections to campus pedestrian circulation and provides views from Cuyler Hall north to the University Art Museum.
Project Team
Structural Engineer: Keast & Hood; MEP Engineer: Bruce E. Brooks & Associates; Civil Engineer: Van-Note Harvey; Photography: Jeffrey Totaro
"It is a special project, and one of my favorites." Ron McCoy, FAIA, University Architect
