Brown University

Wilson Hall

Project at a Glance
Location

Providence, RI

Architect

CBI Consulting

Project Type

Renovation
Restoration

Project Overview

  • Repairment and replication of the exterior architecture of a historically significant 19th-century building
  • Preservation of the historic character of the building with all repairs and sourcing of period materials where necessary
  • Coordination to keep Brown’s information technology (IT) services operational throughout construction

Located on Brown’s main quad, the historic Wilson Hall dates back to 1891, making it one of the oldest buildings on campus. To return the building to its original glory, a series of exterior upgrades were performed, including cleaning, repointing and select repairment to the ashlar sandstone exterior. The red slate roofing was also replaced over two summer phases.

Consigli’s craftspeople self-performed the replacement of the historic wood windows and the front entrance, while a 1950’s vintage aluminum storefront system that acted as the front entrance was replaced by more historically accurate solid mahogany doors and sidelights. Historic window sills were repaired where possible and windows were replaced with newer energy-efficient models. Since Wilson Hall houses the IT network infrastructure, all work was completed while the building was partially occupied.