The Brown Center

The Brown Center. 1249 28th Street ~ c. 1937. , The Browns , In the 1940s, newlyweds Cornelius and Carrie Riggins Brown were graciously welcomed to East End by the Newsomes who lived two doors away. Mr. Brown was a well-known local postman. Mrs. brown, a Georgia native who had attended Hampton Institute, adopted Newport News as her home and quickly became active in the community.

As an educator in the city public school system for 41 years, Mrs. Brown knew that young people must have positive role models. In 1977, the Browns organized Newsome House, Inc. It was their fervent wish to pay tribute to the accomplishments of J. Thomas Newsome by creation of a complex called Newsome Square, incorporating historic Newsome house, an archives/education center and an interpretive center within a park setting.

In pursuit of this, Mrs. Brown served as foundation president from 1978-1997, purchased the Newsome residence from the last heir and lobbied the City of Newport News to preserved it. In March 1977 Mrs. Brown died. Her Last Will and Testament made provision for the continuation of her vision by bestowing her entire estate to the administration of the foundation's board of directors. Her home was left to be used as an education center. On June 12, 2002, the Cornelius and Carrie R. Educational Center was dedicated, making this part of their dream a reality.

Minimal Traditional Architecture 1925-1950 , Typical of pre and post world war two vernacular, modest houses with little ornamentation replaced the Craftsman style bungalows of the previous era, which were considered old-fashioned. These Plain Jane one-story residences are sometimes referred to as Minimalist or Modern American if any descriptor is used. Such homes were basically four walls with some windows, a gable roof and small covered porch. Common sheathing included asbestos shingles, wood or aluminum siding and brick. Streamlined houses were often desirable for small working class families as a cost effective way of living. Although cosy in scale, they were usually built of quality materials. Their rectangular footprint was well suited to the elderly because all living areas were on a single level.

The browns enhanced the appearance of their simple dwelling by placing striped awnings over the front windows and porch. At the rear of the lot, Mr. Brown had a detached cinderblock single car garage, a shed, vegetable-flower garden and concrete platform where he taught crafts to neighborhood youth.

The house was refurbished by the Peninsula Leadership Institute in 2001 at which time the handicapped ramp was added and outbuildings taken down.