Brown unveils renovated Bannister House

The Providence Preservation Society and Brown University celebrated the renovation of 93 Benevolent Street, otherwise known as Bannister House, with an open house event on Wednesday morning. The building was renovated as part of the Brown to Brown Ownership Program, which renovates abandoned or demolished homes and sells them to Brown University staff or faculty members as a way to retain faculty and provide housing in close proximity to campus.Brown acquired the Bannister House in 1989. At that time, it was in disrepair; the Department of Facilities oversaw a redesign and renovation that began in April 2015 and ended in December 2015. Bannister House, originally built in 1854, was the former residence of famous African-American painter Edward Mitchell Bannister and his wife, Christiana, both prominent African-American activists in Providence.[flickr_set id="72157664356797959"]