Honors Capstone
The Brown House
by Terise Camasura
In 1935, the sisters bought the Buck Estate from the couple, Walter E. Buck and Viola M. Wright. This addition to the college campus would help Dominican achieve “progress toward higher achievements and aims”. In the original deed given to college for the Buck Estate, it contained “an area of seven acres” and was bought for $55,000. The estate covered the areas of the buildings of Benincasa, Albertus Magnus, San Marco, Anne Hathaway, Weaving Room, Lourdes Infirmary, the college post office, and the greenhouse. The Benincasa house, Anne Hathaway, Weaving Room, and the greenhouse were buildings that were purchased from the Buck Estate.
Benincasa, 1935. Photograph Collection, Dominican University of California Archives, San Rafael, CA.
The “Weaving Room” and the “Tea House” were two names for the Brown House. The “Weaving room” contained a loom for weaving for the students and a space to have tea. With the addition of the other buildings, Dominican College was able to use them for classrooms, offices, and social centers. The new location of the house did not change what happened inside the building until after 1950. The college still divided the building into a weaving room and student lounge. The location of the house made the students want to change its name. However, the name “The Brown House” stuck. Currently, weaving rooms do not exist anymore.
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Today, the Brown House contains some of the Art Department’s courses and the department’s offices. A photography studio and camera equipment are stored in the Brown House. A large printer, laser printer, and a 3D printer are also kept in the Brown House for design majors.
Art majors can also find this space for studio work and relaxation. Since the design classes moved to the computer labs, the Brown House has been a classroom for classes without computers and “hard clean up” mediums. Workspace for the students has always been important for the Art Department since it’s a small community of artists and designers. The Brown House is not just a home for the art classes, but also a creative work space for anyone who goes in it. From its earliest known history, the Brown House has been and will be known for being a house of community building, sharing, and creativity.
Margit Battha, 1955. Photograph Collection, Dominican University of California Archives, San Rafael, CA.
Brown House, c.2007. Photograph Collection, Dominican University of California Archives, San Rafael, CA.
Brown House 3, 2019. Photo by Terise Camasura.