Pembroke College Campus, Providence

Pembroke College Campus developed from the Women’s College in Brown University, founded in 1891 when higher education remained difficult for women to access. Its first permanent building, Pembroke Hall, opened in 1897 after local women’s organizations raised the necessary funds. The institution adopted the Pembroke College name in 1928, chosen in reference to Roger Williams’s college at Cambridge University.

Buildings arranged around Pembroke Green record the campus’s gradual expansion during the early 20th century. Pembroke Hall is especially notable for its red-brick Elizabethan-Jacobean design, decorative terra-cotta, steep roof and projecting entrance bay. Nearby structures include Alumnae Hall, former dormitories and Smith-Buonanno Hall, originally built as Sayles Gymnasium for women students. Lawns, mature trees, stone walls and traditional lamps create a quieter setting than the university’s larger central green.

Pembroke remained a separate women’s college within the university until the full merger in 1971. Its buildings now serve academic, residential and cultural purposes, while the Pembroke Center continues research and teaching focused on gender and women. Visitors can walk through the green and view the historic exteriors, although entry to working university buildings may be limited.