Introduction

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	External Stairs	Tower, External View

Constructed in 1968, the Graduate Center at Brown University was built to be a focal point of graduate student life. Though Brown had been awarding graduate degrees since 1889, there had never been a formal space exclusively for the students to live, gather, and study. The complex surrounded by Charlesfield, Thayer, and Power Streets consists of five buildings, including four residential towers housing a total of 457 dorm rooms and one central Commons Building. Each tower has entrances on two levels, as the topography of the site allows for two street-level entrances on different streets. The buildings are all connected by a third-floor terrace and elevated walkways from the terrace to the towers. The Graduate Center, or Grad Center, as it is commonly called by students, is an interesting case study in student housing because of its unusual spatial complexity, modernist appearance, and consideration of urban context.