Faunce House (Stephen Robert '62 Campus Center), Providence

Faunce House is a historic Brown University building that now contains the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. It opened in 1904 as Rockefeller Hall, funded by John D. Rockefeller Jr., a member of the class of 1897. Designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, it was among the earliest purpose-built student unions in the United States.

The red-brick exterior combines Colonial Revival design with classical stone details. Its main facade is marked by a tall arched window, a triangular pediment and a terrace overlooking the university green. An east wing was added in 1931, when the building was renamed for William Herbert Perry Faunce, Brown’s president from 1899 to 1929. The broad passage known as Faunce Arch provides a direct route through the building and frames views across the historic campus.

A major renovation completed in 2010 transformed the interior into the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center while preserving the older structure. The building now contains lounges, meeting rooms, student organization offices and dining spaces, including the Blue Room. Near the information desk is Advice from a Former Student, a sound installation by artist and Brown alumna Nina Katchadourian, which presents recorded guidance from former students.