#brownandbrew

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.

The space that Brown & Brew Coffee House has occupied for 20 years has had several uses. In 1905, there was even a lunch cart next to Curtis Hall (pictured below). Watch how Brown & Brew prepares to close and transform into a café in the Science and Engineering Complex fall 2017.