Sciences Library (Brown University)
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The Sciences Library, nicknamed the "SciLi" (pronounced “sigh-lie”), at
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
is a high-rise building in
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, Rhode Island built in 1971 in the
Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
style. At , it is tied with One Citizens Plaza as the 16th-tallest building in the city. The building houses
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
's primary on-campus collections that support study and research in the fields of Medicine, Psychology, Neural Science, Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, and Pure and Applied Mathematics. SciLi is also the home of the Science Center, the Writing Center, the Center for Language Studies, the Map Collection, the Interlibrary Loan office, and the Friedman Study Center. SciLi is one of five on-campus libraries which make up the University Library.


Architecture

In the late 1960s, the school was faced with the desire for vigorous expansion but had little real estate available, and the high-rise library was the school's solution. Along with the
John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, nicknamed "the Rock", is the primary teaching and research library for the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. It is one of five individual libraries whi ...
(completed in 1964), the Graduate Center (completed in 1968), and the List Art Building (1971), it is one of four notable examples of brutalist architecture at Brown. The building was designed by Warner Burns Toan & Lunde architects, primarily by M. Rosaria Piomelli and
Danforth Toan Danforth Toan (1918-2013) was an architect known for Brutalist architecture who specialized in college libraries across North America. As a founding partner at Warner Burn Toan & Lunde Architects, he contributed to the design of dozens of buildings ...
. The Sciences Library was built in 1971 during the height of a wave of brutalist architecture in the United States, opening three years after Boston City Hall (1968), one year after the
Geisel Library Geisel Library is the main library building of the University of California, San Diego. It is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel. Theodor is better known as children's author Dr. Seuss. The building's distinctive architecture, des ...
(1970), and one year before Carney Library at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (1971).
Classical High School Classical High School, founded in 1843, is a public magnet school in the Providence School District, in Providence, Rhode Island. It was originally an all-male school but has since become co-ed. Classical's motto is ''Certare, Petere, Reperire, ...
in Providence was also completed in 1970 in a brutalist style. Clashing with late 19th century and early 20th century colonial revival houses and abutting street-level shopping on
Thayer Street Thayer Street in Providence, Rhode Island is a popular destination for students of the area's nearby schools of Brown University, Moses Brown School, Hope High School, Wheeler School, RISD, Providence College, Johnson & Wales University, and ...
, the Sciences Library is often seen as an imposing and obtrusive addition to College Hill by critics who supported the 2016 demolition of the Fogarty Building, one of Rhode Island's few examples of brutalist architecture. Architectural historian McKenzie Woodward condemns the building as "overwhelm ngeverything around it", even comparing it to a Soviet-era Panelák when viewed from its "all-too-many distant viewing perspectives". Proponents of brutalism assert that it is the world's most endangered architectural style and, given the loss of dozens of significant brutalist buildings in the US in the twenty-first century, the Sciences Library is a rare surviving example. A 100-foot radio tower, erected in 1972, was removed from the building in 2005.


Friedman Study Center

In 2006, the first and second floors and the basement of the Sciences Library underwent extensive renovations and were transformed into the Susan P. and Richard A. Friedman Study Center. The center includes a variety of seating, a cafe on the first floor, new computer clusters, and collaborative study rooms. This renovation was designed by Architecture Research Office, and structurally engineered by Leslie E. Robertson Associates.


Science Center

In 2010, the third floor was renovated to create the "Science Center", a facility that supports teaching and learning in the sciences. The Center houses academic mentoring and support programs and serves as the campus clearinghouse for information about research and fellowship opportunities at Brown and around the world.


See also

*
List of libraries in Rhode Island This is a list of public and private and university libraries in Rhode Island, USA. External links Ocean State Libraries {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Libraries In Rhode Island * Libraries Rhode Island Libraries A library is a collection of mat ...


References


Further reading

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External links


Entry on Emporis

Brown University

The Friedman Study Center

The Science Center

New Library Buildings Part VI: Sciences Library, Brown University (pdf)
{{Providence skyscrapers Skyscrapers in Providence, Rhode Island Brown University libraries Library buildings completed in 1971 World Digital Library Brutalist architecture in Rhode Island 1971 establishments in Rhode Island