Bragassa Toy Store
Encyclopedia
The Bragassa Toy Store is a historic building located in Lynchburg, Virginia
. In 1871, Francisco Bragassa purchased the property and in 1875 to 1876, he built the confectionary and toy store in Italianate
style. The Bragassa store was at the center of a new, expanding commercial section of town during the Reconstruction period. It is the only surviving building within a four-block area that represents this commercial expansion. The building contains comfortable living quarters upstairs, with the merchandise on the ground floor. At the front of the shop were the first plate glass windows ever installed in Lynchburg. The store remained in the Bragassa family until 1987. In January 1988 the Lynchburg Historical Foundation purchased the building from the Bragassa family.. In November 2008, the building was occupied by Kid's Haven: A Center for Grieving Children.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1991.
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
. In 1871, Francisco Bragassa purchased the property and in 1875 to 1876, he built the confectionary and toy store in Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
style. The Bragassa store was at the center of a new, expanding commercial section of town during the Reconstruction period. It is the only surviving building within a four-block area that represents this commercial expansion. The building contains comfortable living quarters upstairs, with the merchandise on the ground floor. At the front of the shop were the first plate glass windows ever installed in Lynchburg. The store remained in the Bragassa family until 1987. In January 1988 the Lynchburg Historical Foundation purchased the building from the Bragassa family.. In November 2008, the building was occupied by Kid's Haven: A Center for Grieving Children.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1991.