Ownership Succession
In 1953, Branch House was given by Zayde Branch Rennolds (Mrs. Edmund Addison Rennolds Sr.), the daughter of Beulah and John Kerry 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 nine charities, including the United Way and the American Cancer Society. As the headquarters for the United Way of Greater Richmond, Branch House hosted numerous social events, meetings, and community activities, including the summer concert series of the Richmond Pops Band.
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 exchange for tax benefits, the easement stipulated that "no major changes (could) be made to the exterior or interior, in perpetuity." In December of 1983, the Pogues successfully applied to list Branch House on the National Register of Historic Places. During its use by the Pogues and Northwestern Mutual, the house was extensively rehabilitated and again made available for public events.
By 1990, the insurance agency had outgrown the house and put it up for sale for an asking price of 2.5 million.
In 2003, the Virginia Center for Architecture Foundation (VCAF), precursor to the Virginia Center for Architecture (VCA), purchased the landmark for $2 million, subsequently verifying historic preservation tax credits, coordinating work with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and undertaking a $2 million renovation. The renovation repaired flat sections of the complex roof system, repaired the leaded-glass casement windows, removed paint from its interior stonework, modernized the HVAC systems and brought the facility into compliance with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
On April 1, 2005 the facility opened as a museum, 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. In addition to the museum, which is an affiliate of the International Confederation of Architectural Museums, Branch House accommodates the offices of the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects (VSAIA) and the Virginia Center for Architecture (VCA); the editorial office of VSAIA's publication, Inform magazine; a museum shop; as well as the main legal offices of Dominion General Counsel. A rare book shop, Collectors Old Book Shop, operates on the second floor, having relocated with VSAIA and VCAF when they moved from Barret House in Richmond. Beulah Gould Branch's bedroom now serves as the official boardroom of VCA and VSAIA. Branch House's original chapel room remains undeveloped.
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