Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
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VLR Listing Date 01/18/1972
NRHP Listing Date 05/05/1972
NHL Listing Date 11/11/1971
NRHP Reference Number 71001041
Virginia author Ellen Glasgow made her home in this Greek Revival mansion from 1887, when at age 13 she moved in with her family, until her death in 1945. Her father purchased the house from the family of local industrialist Isaac Davenport. Glasgow’s many novels depicted life in the South with a realism devoid of the nostalgic sentimentality that characterized much Southern writing of the period. Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1938, she was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1942 for her last novel, In This Our Life. Her home in Richmond’s Monroe Ward was typical of the large Greek Revival houses that once lined Richmond’s streets, and was built in 1841 for David M. Branch, a tobacco manufacturer. Glasgow’s “square gray house” was purchased by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now Preservation Virginia) in 1947. Since sold with protective covenants, it is once again a private residence.
1970 National Historic Landmark Nomination
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: July 7, 2021
