Annmary Brown Memorial is an art museum, library and mausoleum at Brown University. It is located at 21 Brown Street in Providence, Rhode Island. It is one of six libraries comprising the University Library system.
History The building, designed by architect Norman Isham, was completed in 1907 in the shape of a granite temple with bronze doors at the request of General Rush Hawkins.Marshall, Traute M. Art Museums Plus: Cultural Excursions in New England. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2009: 80. Hawkins intended it to house his collection, including incunabula, and to serve as a memorial to his wife, Annmary Brown (1837–1903). The Hawkinses are interred in a crypt at the building.
Margaret Bingham Stillwell, curator of the collection from 1917 to 1953, was a renowned bibliographer who also wrote histories of the library.Stillwell, Margaret B. The Annmary Brown Memorial: A Descriptive Essay (Providence: The Annmary Brown Memorial, 1925).Stillwell, Margaret B. General Hawkins as He Revealed Himself to His Librarian, Margaret Bingham Stillwell (Providence: 1923).Stillwell, Margaret B. The Annmary Brown Memorial: A Booklover’s Shrine (Providence: Privately Printed, 1940).
Modern history The museum merged with Brown University in 1948. In 1990, the collection was moved to the John Hay Library of Brown University.
Today, the museum features a wide array of art from around the world. The museum is normally open on Monday through Friday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. during the academic year, from Labor Day through Memorial Day.
See also List of museums in Rhode Island List of libraries in Rhode Island
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