When art proved to be a financially unfeasible profession, Brown decided to switch to architecture.
Thus, after completing the equivalent of high school, he enrolled in the University of Toronto architectural program graduating in 1913.
[1][2] Soon after graduation, Brown opened up a practice with fellow architect Arthur W. McConnell, which lasted until the early 1920s.
In Toronto's Fashion District, many Jewish clients in the clothing trade commissioned him to design functional loft buildings constructed of reinforced concrete and dressed in a stylish Art Deco cladding of cut stone and brick.
Many of Brown's buildings were designed in the Art Deco style, with some containing Georgian, Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Tudor and Romanesque elements.