One of the epicenters of the historic preservation movement in the United States, the east side of Providence is also home to Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design. Preservation leaders and institutional leaders--sometimes adversaries, sometimes partners--took a meandering path toward the expansive notion of Historic Providence that we see today. This article will explore the changing notions of cities, preservation, and institutional development on what is aptly called College Hill. It is a story of mutual support, conflicting values, and an extraordinary act of planning: the College Hill Study. (Contains 9 figures.)