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Fall 2025
University News
A New Look for the Lower Green
An amphitheater arrives!
September 18th, 2025
If Meri Avetisyan, a junior at Minerva, a global university with no campus at all, could take one piece of Brown’s campus life with her, she knows exactly what it would be. “The main green,” she says without hesitation. Avetisyan worked as a residential assistant at Brown’s pre-college program, in part “to see what it feels like when your campus is the campus.”
PHOTO: STOSS Landscape urbanism
The officially named College Green is about to get some competition. A donor-funded renovation scheduled to be completed in October will introduce a terraced amphitheater and more gathering spots to the Ruth J. Simmons quad—the lower green between Sayles and Soldier’s Arch, traditional home to Battle of the Bands at Campus Dance.
The new configuration will build on landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s original 1901 plan for the quad, including improved accessibility—one of the quad’s staircases will be transformed into a sloped, east-west pathway, addressing navigation challenges.
The project will also create an accessible entrance to Maxcy Hall, the circa 1895 home to the sociology department, and facilities upgrades including an underground stormwater management system and tent-ready infrastructure.
“The redesign is a powerful example of how thoughtful design can merge functionality with aesthetic appeal,” says Desirae Mix, interim director of student accessibility services. “Accessibility can be beautiful.”
