Get Herald RSSUntil Brown finally boarded up the deserted house next to Minden Hall last year, it was the site of many daring exploits of students who took on the challenge of navigating rotten stairs, dangling chandeliers and piles of debris.
Brown students love a challenge, but this was one they shouldn't have had the opportunity to face. On a campus and in a neighborhood marked by wealth, there is no reason historically significant buildings should be left to decay. The houses are valuable in their own right, and they also occupy prime real estate on the edge of campus - space that should certainly be used for a more productive purpose. Brown's disregard for the dignity of these houses is offensive to neighbors who maintain their own property well.
Brown's need to expand continually to accommodate growing and improving programs has often brought it into conflict with neighbors who resent the disruptions building projects can cause. Currently, Brown is being sued by a group of East Side residents seeking to stop the construction of the Life Sciences Building. In that case and in many others, the East Side residents who complain about Brown are bitter and dismissive of the University's needs, but on this count, we side with them.
The Brown to Brown program that is in the preliminary planning stages sounds like it would begin to improve the University's relationship with the neighborhood - by allowing some University-controlled housing to generate local taxes - and also provide affordable housing for some of the community members who most need it. With a number of high-profile projects in progress or just on the horizon, it wouldn't be hard for a long-term solution that directly benefits relatively few people to slip through the cracks. The University should continue to explore the feasibility of this program, a prime example of Brown's characteristically creative problem solving.
But no matter what Brown ultimately does with its vacant houses, it must first restore them to a livable condition. Some of these historic structures are already in an alarming state of decay, and restoring them will only become more difficult and more expensive the longer the University waits. As a first step, the University should make an immediate and firm commitment to restore the houses. By keeping the campus beautiful and preserving the area's history, Brown will benefit both itself and its community.
