Brown Hall, as well as the Brown School, is named for George Warren Brown. The hall was dedicated in January 1937.
The hall was originally built to house the entire School of Social Work, but after years of growth, additional buildings were required. Brown Hall also contains a 500-seat auditorium in the east wing. The building was given to the university by Mrs. Brown as a monument to her husband.
George Warren Brown
George Warren Brown was the first to establish a successful wholesale shoe manufacturing business in St. Louis. Formerly on the Board of Directors of Washington University in St. Louis, and with a deep concern for the livelihood of his church and other people of St. Louis, he brought assets to the university to fund the School of Social Work. Upon Mr. Brown’s death, his widow, Bettie Bofinger Brown, established the School of Social Work as a memorial to him. When Mrs. Brown passed away in 1934, a portion of her estate was set aside for the construction of a social work building.