Context

Located at the northeast side of campus on College Hill, the Grad Center at first consideration seems like some six-story concrete monstrosity that tears up the urban fabric of its otherwise quaint, Georgian-style neighborhood on the historic Eastside of Providence. However, the both the University and the architects realized that the preservation of the Eastside's historic integrity is important to both the community and the school. Thus, in building the Grad Center they worked within many constraints set by the University to minimally interfere with the surrounding urban landscape. First of all, the materials were of utmost importance. Historic Providence is home to hundreds of red-brick or stone buildings-it is in fact quite rare to see any buildings otherwise. The rough dark-red bricks in the Grad Center serve to break up the otherwise dull and flat walls and reflect the other nearby brick buildings. The concrete is tinted so as not to appear out of place.

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