Faxon's Brown Hall reflected the strong influence of the Renaissance Revival in American architecture of that decade. The first two floors were constructed of Cape Ann granite. As the Daily Princetonian reported, this stone was "laid in the Florentine Asher style, that is, with every stone cut to the same dimensions and every course having the same projection."

The top two floors, meanwhile, were made of Pompeian brick and trimmed with terra cotta and brick quoins. The whole building was topped off by a flat roof and battlements.