East of the Providence River, College Hill, headquarters of Brown University and RISD, contains over 100 Colonial, Federal and Revival houses dating from the 18th century. Stroll down Benefit Street’s ‘Mile of History’ for the best of them. Amidst them you’ll find the clean lines of William Strickland’s 1838 Providence Athenaeum , inside which plaster busts of Greek gods and philosophers preside over a collection that dates to 1753.
The cheap eateries and used-record stores that nourish college types are on Thayer St , College Hill's main commercial drag.
