Brown & Brew: What a Colorful History!
The space in Curtis Hall that Brown & Brew has occupied celebrates a long and colorful history. When the building first opened in the early 1890’s, the space served as a campus dining room (The Dive).
Then during WWII, the space was used as a Navy mess hall.
Throughout the 1990’s, the room was used by a number of student groups (including Pen, Paint & Pencils and Ballroom Dance). Hillel also held Friday night Shabbat dinners in the space until the Hillel Center opened in 1995.
Inspired by the vision of Cheryl Weingarten, a sophomore in 1992, an on-campus coffee house was selected to serve the space. The name Brown & Brew was created from a naming contest conducted across the university. The clever name is a twist on Tufts’ official colors: brown and blue – emphasizing the coffee aspect.
Brown & Brew Coffee House celebrated its 20th anniversary January 2017.













