Branch House

After designing Branch House, the firm of John Russell Pope (1874–1937) became widely known for designing the National Archives and Records Administration building (1935), the Jefferson Memorial (1943) and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art (1941) in Washington, DC. Pope's partner, Otto R. Eggers (1882–1964), completed those commissions after Pope's death in 1937, and subsequently designed prominent projects including the interior of the (1952) and the Morehead Planetarium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Branch House was thus elevated to the National Register because it was designed by one of the country's prominent architectural firms during the early 20th century; and because it is the only example of the firm's Tudor-Jacobean Revival residences in which the interiors have survived intact. The client was also scion to a distinguished Virginia family and had assembled a substantial collection of Renaissance artifacts. ==Design==

After receiving the gift of half a city block from his father, John Kerr and Beulah Branch commissioned the firm of John Russell Pope for the design. The site was adjacent to the colonnaded memorial to Jefferson Davis and signed by his business partner, architect Otto R. Eggers. Floor plans included 28 major rooms: The overall size of the house has been reported as ranging from 27,000 to 33,000 sq ft. It is roughly three times the size of its neighbors on Monument Avenue. The roof is double-pitched with parapets and castellation (or crenelations), creating numerous complexities and hidden flat areas. The eastern pavilion has a three-story castellated bay. The 1984 application to the National Register of Historic Places described the home's relationship to the street as "extremely awkward." Pope's office had made provision for a garage on Park Avenue, but a two-door garage was not added until the 1920s, at the west end of the building. Utilizing artifacts from the Branches' personal Renaissance collection, the house incorporated an Italian door and a carved wood gallery screen (or minstrel screen) from England. Until Beulah Gould Branch's death, almost every wall surface in the home's primary rooms was covered with the couple's collection of tapestries and textiles. ==The Branch Family==

John Kerr Branch was born in Danville, Virginia, to Mary Louise Merritt Kerr and John Patteson Branch, both originally of Petersburg, Virginia. The elder Branch was a noted Richmond banker, investor, financier and philanthropist. On his death in 1915, The New York Times called him the "Nestor of Richmond Bankers." John Kerr Branch grew up in Richmond and attended the McGuire School, subsequently studying in Paris and Germany (1882–1884). At age 21, he began clerking with his father's firm, Thomas Branch & Company. Branch invested successfully in real estate and railroads; and became director of the Continental Insurance Company of New York (chiefly involved with Southern cotton mills and railroads) and the Petersburg Savings and Insurance Company. He became President of Merchants National Bank of Richmond (having founded the bank in 1871); and President of Bankers and Brokers, Richmond. Both Quakers, and was buried in Richmond. Beulah Gould Branch continued to live in the home until her death in 1952. Their daughter, Zayde Branch Rennolds (Mrs. Edmond Addison Rennolds Sr.) subsequently gifted the home to a Richmond charity. ==Ownership succession and recent history==

In 1953, Branch House was given by Zayde Branch Rennolds (Mrs. Edmund Addison Rennolds Sr.), the daughter of Beulah and John Kerr Branch, to the Richmond Community Chest, which subsequently became the United Givers Fund, in turn becoming the Richmond office of the United Way. After Beulah Gould Branch's death and during the years 1957–1975, the house became known as the Branch Memorial House. By 1966, the house was occupied by a group of nine charities, In 1982, Robert E. Pogue of Richmond and his wife Janice W. Pogue of Richmond bought the house and set up the offices of Pogue & Associates, Inc., an insurance agency representing Northwestern Mutual. The Pogues subsequently donated a preservation easement to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. In 2003, the Virginia Center for Architecture Foundation (VCAF), precursor to the Virginia Center for Architecture (VCA), purchased the landmark for $2 million, incorporating galleries, shops and offices. Two large rooms, one a long gallery along the northern wall of the house and another the former living room, provide exhibit space. Until 2015, the Branch House accommodated the offices of the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects (VSAIA) and the Virginia Center for Architecture (VCA). Since 2015, the Branch House has been the home of The Branch Museum of Design (www.branchmuseum.org), which presents changing exhibits and programs, along with the annual Mad Hatter Art & Design Auction. ==See also==