Sayles Memorial Hall

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Sayles Memorial Hall
Brown's Open Curriculum 50 years picnic.jpg
LocationBrown University
Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°49′35″N 71°24′09″W / 41.82625°N 71.40258°W / 41.82625; -71.40258Coordinates: 41°49′35″N 71°24′09″W / 41.82625°N 71.40258°W / 41.82625; -71.40258
Built1879–1881
ArchitectAlpheus C. Morse
Architectural styleRichardsonian Romanesque
Part ofCollege Hill Historic District

Sayles Memorial Hall is a Richardsonian Romanesque hall on the central campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The granite structure was designed by Alpheus C. Morse and constructed from 1879 to 1881.[1]

History[]

Sayles Hall was built in memoriam of William Clark Sayles, who entered Brown in 1874 and died in 1876.[2] In 1878 Sayles' father gifted the school $50,000 for the construction of a building in his sons' honor “which shall be exclusively and forever devoted to lectures and recitations, and to meetings on academic occasions.”[1]

Structure[]

The building is constructed of rock-faced Westerly granite with Longmeadow brownstone trim.

The structure follows a T-shaped plan. The front section measures 35 by 75 feet and is topped by a hipped roof; the rear of the building has a gabled roof.[1] The main auditorium of the building is characterized by pine roof trusses.[3]

Organ[]

The building is home to a 1903 Hutchings-Votey gifted to the university by Lucian Sharpe. Today, the organ is the largest remaining Hutchings-Votey organ of its type.[1] The organ is used for an annual Halloween concert which begins at midnight.[4]

Portraits[]

The main auditorium of the structure is adorned with 35 historical and contemporary portraits of leaders and benefactors of the university.[5] In 1997, a portrait of Sarah Elizabeth Doyle was stolen from the building.[6] In 2016, the university installed a portrait of President Emerita Ruth Simmons, making her the first and only Black woman represented in the collection.[7]

Gallery[]

  • Sayles Hall, April 2021.jpg
  • Sayles Hall interior, Brown University.jpg

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Encyclopedia Brunoniana | Sayles Hall". www.brown.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  2. ^ "Sayles Hall // Guide to Providence Architecture". guide.ppsri.org. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  3. ^ "Makana Tavares '17: Sayles Memorial Hall – Archaeology of Brown University and College Hill". Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  4. ^ Toledano, Elizabeth (2016-11-02). "Steinbach plays Halloween Midnight Organ Concert". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  5. ^ Omori, Maya. "Repainting Tradition: Sayles Hall Portraits". Rhode Tour. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  6. ^ "A Portrait of a Lady Disappears From Brown University". www.chronicle.com. October 3, 1997. Retrieved 2021-05-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Center, Julianne (2016-01-28). "Simmons portrait hung in Sayles". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
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