The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design

The building itself is fantastic but there just doesn’t seem to be much going on here for the general public. They’ve now moved the gift shop, formerly housed in the beautiful library, to a cold, poorly lit room at the entrance. The magic is gone. At least the house is still standing.

It’s FREE!!! I loved visiting here, but there could be more to it. A lot of the sample photos are simply boring, but as a fan of architecture I found the building itself was a great place to get some interesting photography. The gift shop is very cute too. I would love to see them incorporate more tantalizing historical architecture exhibits. Can I request some photos of Fine Creek Mills? and other more local historical places?

This review update is only for their services as a wedding venue. I really wanted to go with them for my wedding but was unable to because even with a discount it was out of my budget. The woman in charge of renting the venue is super friendly and very helpful. They have an extensive list of caterers to choose from so it’s not at all a hassle to use one of their approved caterers. If you must must must have your own, it’s 100 $ to get them on the list. You or your caterer must have liability insurance.
Just a note, you’re not allowed to have red wine at your event because they’re afraid it may stain the slate floors. The grounds and building are so beautiful that you won’t have to decorate much at all and you can have your ceremony there (or I recommend the metropolitan community church next door, there’s another church next door the other way too!). They have a catering kitchen and if you choose to do an outdoor thing they’ll let you have one of the rooms indoors instead if you get rained out. No extra cost.
Insider tip, they are only allowed to have four «weddings» there a year due to some arcane state law. So it’s much cheaper (2500 $) and easier to schedule if you’re having, say, an «anniversary party» or a «commitment ceremony reception» or a «renewal of vows reception».

I have been to pretty much every exhibit opening at the VCA since I moved to Richmond and it is always a good time. Great exhibits and really nice curating. The staff and volunteers do a wonderful job of making everything feel really posh and welcoming at the same time. They also offer some great lecture series throughout the year, such as Modern Love this past spring. Recently they have started offering Behind the Scenes Tours that get you further into the home than a regular visit. And I have shopped in the museum store for everything from baby showers to wedding gifts to just little things for myself.
Keep in mind that this mansion is now a gallery space, event space and offices. You won’t have the same kind of experience as at Maymont where the house has only ever been a home and a museum. This is still functioning, living space — and we are so lucky that it is.

I didn’t even know this existed until a couple of years ago when it was one of the «clues» of the Greater RIchmond Adventure race. I love cool architecture and architectural details so I wanted to see what everyone was talking about.
It’s in an old Tudor house, worth the trip alone, but they also have some cool exhibits and a lot of information on architectural styles, periods, etc. It’s been very handy for me as a research tool, and I picked up a great architectural guidebook there.
If you’re not into history or if you think Frank Lloyd Wright was a rock star, you won’t love it, but if corbels and crown molding are your thing, you’ll enjoy poking around in here.