Another Richardson epigone, this time taking its cues from Harvard’s Sever Hall (1882). Gould & Angell’s muscular rock-face-granite building relates well to the surfaced Sayles Hall next door, but misses the suavity of Richardson’s brick building in the Harvard Yard. Built to house the physics department (yet more specialization of use), it was converted to general classroom use in 1966-67, at a time when Victorian buildings were beginning to find amused appreciation and therefore susceptible to the almost ironic installation of minimalist interiors, as found here.
– 2003 Guide to Providence Architecture
In 2018, a donation from the Richard A. and Susan P. Friedman Family Foundation to Brown University resulted in the renovation and renaming of the historic Wilson Hall. While the exterior of the building has not been significantly altered, it is now known as Friedman Hall.
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