William Hoskins Brown Papers

William Hoskins Brown (1910-1976) was born on December 4, 1910 in Cleveland, Ohio to Carroll Wilder (1879-1976) and Harriet Austin Hoskins Brown (1880-1961). He had three siblings: Mary Drake (1913-1984), Arthur A (1914-1982), and Carroll Jonathan (1918-2012). He studied at Shaw High School in Cleveland and at Oberlin College, 1927-1929. He received the B. Arch. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1933 and the M. Arch. there in 1942.

It was at Oberlin where Brown developed his taste and skills for architecture. He was an instructor in fine arts (1933-1940), his specialty being watercolors and pencil sketches. He collaborated with Prof. Clarence Ward (1884-1973), serving as the designer and draftsman for the preliminary drawings for the new Women’s Gymnasium (Hales Gymnasium). Subsequently, working for consulting architect Richard Arthur Kimball (1899-1997) (enrolled in Oberlin 1917), he participated in the final preliminary architectural, structural, and mechanical drawings for the Physical Education unit for Women (Hales Gymnasium).

In 1937, Brown brought the “Modern” style of functional residential architecture to Oberlin. His style fostered “internal convenience” of family traffic patterns, airy ventilation, natural lighting, and domestic privacy over “external show.” Brown was the architect for the residences of Prof. Frederick Binkerd Artz (1894-1983, OC '16) on 157 N. Professor Street, Prof. Raymond Cerf (1901-1978) on 373 Edgemeer, William "Bill" Harlow Seaman (1902-1948, OC '24) on 158 S. Prospect Street, Lysle K. Butler (1903-1973, OC '25) on 322 Morgan Street, and Dr. Frank Vincent on 290 Morgan Street. He also designed the “memorial wall” to veterans of the Civil and First World Wars that is located in Wright Park at the corner of S. Main and West Vine. He and his students painted murals in the old Varsity Restaurant, “Rec” Hall, and in the Art Building.

After Brown became a Registered Architect in 1938, he taught at the Department of Architecture at M.I.T. from 1941 to 1976, with some time out (1943-1946) for naval service in World War II. He was President and Treasurer of William Hoskins Brown Associates, Inc., Boston. A record of his architectural work in the Greater Boston Area is located at the Institute Archives of M.I.T.

Brown was a well-respected practicing and teaching architect. He was the recipient of the A.I.A. “Award of Merit” for the “100 Memorial Drive” Apartments in Cambridge, Mass. He was the author of numerous articles in professional journals and books published in the U.S. and abroad. Of special interest is the conference he conducted on “planning a modern residence,” which was nationally broadcast and originated in the studios of WCLE in Cleveland (Ref. Oberlin College Broadcast, Feb. 4, 1939, 5 pages).

In 1937, Brown married Josephine Leffring Pierce (1911-1975, O.C. '35) and their marriage produced two daughters. His brother-in-law was Louis S. Pierce, Class of 1928. After a short battle with bone cancer, Brown died on November 5, 1976 in Phoenixville, PA.