Sayles_Memorial_Hall

Sayles Memorial Hall

Sayles Memorial Hall

United States historic place

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]

Quick Facts Location, Coordinates ...

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 organ 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]

References

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