John Prentiss Browne (June 1, 1920 – May 22, 2005) was an architect. He designed numerous buildings throughout

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, most of them schools and academic buildings, including Loyola University's Donnelly Science Center.

Early life, education, wartime service

Born in Baltimore in 1921, Browne attended the

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, colloquially referred to as BPI, Poly, and The Institute, is a U.S. public high school founded in 1883. Established as an all-male manual trade / vocational school by the Baltimore City Council and the Baltim ...

(the city's "

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

" mathematics/science & technology public high school) and graduated from

The Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...

. After graduating, he worked at the Glenn L. Martin Company aircraft plant in

Middle River, Maryland Middle River is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 33,203 at the 2020 census. A Middle River Train Station first appeared on the 1877 G.M. Hopkins & Co Baltimore ...

, east of the city during the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, until he joined the

United States Marine Corp The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary warfare, exped ...

. He was stationed in

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

during the United States occupation of Japan after the war in 1945-1946.

Donnelly Science Center

The Donnelly Science Center was one of his most well-known designs. The site for the building was green space, which prompted debate about whether anything should be built there. But Browne, and then Loyola College, agreed on the plans and the Building was constructed in 1978. The science center started construction in spring of 1978 and was completed by the fall of 1978. The $3.9 million building was dedicated on December 3, 1978, and named after Edward J. Donnelly, the largest private donor. The 60,000 square foot building included 25 laboratories, 5 classrooms, offices, and computer facilities. The four story building, with three floors above the grade was built on the corner of North Charles Street and Cold Spring Lane. Although the college was excited for the new science center, there was concern about the destruction of the green space and trees on campus. According to Browne, the construction of the center "would not require the cutting of more than a half-dozen of the graceful, mature trees that dot the corner’s hillside." Another concern from the Loyola College community was the want for a formal entrance. The new science center would replace the signboard that was located on Charles Street and would be the largest building on campus.

Retirement and restoration

After he retired in 1982, Browne helped restore historic sites around Maryland. He became a board member and eventually became president of the

Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, formerly the Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum, is a museum located in the Jonestown/Old Town and adjacent to Little Italy neighborhoods of eastern downtown Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Buil ...

. At the age of 76, he oversaw the renovation of the museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, J. Prentiss 1921 births 2005 deaths Architects from Baltimore 21st-century American architects United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II