Branch House
Encyclopedia
Branch House is a mansion in Richmond, Virginia
designed by John Russell Pope
for John Kerr Branch in 1916. It is now the home of Virginia Center for Architecture, one of the few architectural museums in the United States. In addition, it houses the Virginia Society AIA
. Though part of the Monument Avenue Historic District, it was also independently listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984.
in the Fan district
of Richmond, Virginia
. The 27000 sq ft (2,508.4 m²). mansion was commissioned in 1916 by John Kerr Branch. The house is the work of architect John Russell Pope
, who designed the Broad Street Station
two blocks away shortly thereafter. It was finally completed in 1919. The house was designed in the Tudor-Jacobean
style and remains one of a few works by Pope in which the original interior has survived.
In 1953 the Branch family gifted the house to the United Givers Fund
, which, in turn, sold the mansion to Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance in 1982. The house was once again sold in 2003, this time to the Virginia Center for Architecture Foundation. In 2005, the Virginia Center for Architecture opened, and provides exhibitions, tours, and lectures on architecture.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
designed by John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope was an architect most known for his designs of the National Archives and Records Administration building , the Jefferson Memorial and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.-Biography:Pope was born in New York in 1874, the son of a successful...
for John Kerr Branch in 1916. It is now the home of Virginia Center for Architecture, one of the few architectural museums in the United States. In addition, it houses the Virginia Society AIA
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
. Though part of the Monument Avenue Historic District, it was also independently 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 1984.
History
The building is located at 2501 Monument AvenueMonument Avenue
Monument Avenue, in Richmond, Virginia, is a premier example of the Grand American Avenue city planning style. The first monument, a statue of Robert E. Lee was erected in 1890. Between 1900 and 1925, Monument Avenue exploded with architecturally significant houses, churches and apartment buildings...
in the Fan district
Fan district
The Fan is a district of Richmond, Virginia, so named because of the "fan" shape of the array of streets that extend west from Belvidere Street, on the eastern edge of Monroe Park, westward to the Boulevard....
of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. The 27000 sq ft (2,508.4 m²). mansion was commissioned in 1916 by John Kerr Branch. The house is the work of architect John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope was an architect most known for his designs of the National Archives and Records Administration building , the Jefferson Memorial and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.-Biography:Pope was born in New York in 1874, the son of a successful...
, who designed the Broad Street Station
Broad Street Station (Richmond)
Broad Street Station was a union railroad station in Richmond, Virginia, USA, across Broad Street from the Fan district....
two blocks away shortly thereafter. It was finally completed in 1919. The house was designed in the Tudor-Jacobean
Jacobethan
Jacobethan is the style designation coined in 1933 by John Betjeman to describe the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the English Renaissance , with elements of Elizabethan and...
style and remains one of a few works by Pope in which the original interior has survived.
In 1953 the Branch family gifted the house to the United Givers Fund
United Givers Fund
United Givers Fund is the name used by several current or historical joint charitable appeals in the United States. Many of these appeals later adopted the United Way name, sometimes in conjunction with a merger with another charitable appeal....
, which, in turn, sold the mansion to Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance in 1982. The house was once again sold in 2003, this time to the Virginia Center for Architecture Foundation. In 2005, the Virginia Center for Architecture opened, and provides exhibitions, tours, and lectures on architecture.