Ginter House is the historic former residence of Lewis Ginter in Richmond, Virginia . Built in 1892, it is owned by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and is home to the provost's office. It was used as Richmond's first public library from 1925 until 1930, was used as part of a school, and was the main administrative building on the Monroe Park, Virginia campus of VCU for more than 40 years. In September 2020, the University’s Board of Visitors voted to de-commemorate several buildings on campus named for members of the Confederacy including the Lewis Ginter house. The house is now simply known as the "VCU Administration Building".
12-469: The home was built from 1888 to 1892 for Ginter, a cigarette magnate and philanthropist who developed an area of Richmond's north side and built the Jefferson Hotel . Harvey L. Page and William Winthrop Kent were brought in from Washington, D.C. to design the home. It is three and one half stories high and includes a polygonal three-story tower. It uses brownstone at its base, pecked brownstone on
24-408: A fire gutted the interior of the hotel in 1901, it had a lengthy restoration. It reopened in 1907. It has received restorations and upgrades of systems through the years. Patrons have included thirteen United States presidents, writers, and celebrities, including Henry James , Charles Lindbergh , The Rolling Stones , Dolly Parton , Elvis Presley , and Anthony Hopkins . On March 29, 1901, there
36-505: A tower, the top floor of which was used by the major as a private barbershop. The home was filled with dark wood paneling in oak, birch, mahogany and cherry. Fireplaces were constructed with imported tile in various designs and colors. It became a psychiatric hospital in 1911. The house was demolished in 1975. 37°32′56″N 77°27′10″W / 37.549004°N 77.452871°W / 37.549004; -77.452871 Jefferson Hotel (Richmond, Virginia) The Jefferson Hotel
48-600: Is a luxury hotel in Richmond , Virginia , United States, opened in 1895. In 1969, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The Jefferson is a member of Historic Hotels of America , the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation . On site is "Lemaire", a restaurant named after Etienne Lemaire, who served as maitre d'hotel to Thomas Jefferson from 1794 through
60-511: Is located on the corner of Shafer Street and West Franklin Street at 901 West Franklin Street. The home features decorative woodwork, ornate fireplaces, stained glass windows, leather wallpaper and wrought iron detailing. In the late 19th century, Ginter built a large luxurious, Victorian-style mansion in Richmond's North Side for his summer home where he lived with John Pope. Westbrook had
72-613: The end of his presidency. Tobacco baron Lewis Ginter planned the development of the hotel as a premier property in the city of Richmond. It was designed in the Spanish Baroque Style by Carrère and Hastings , noted national architects based in New York City who later designed the New York Public Library . Construction began in 1892 and the hotel opened for business on October 31, 1895. After
84-487: The fire. In the check-in lobby, known as the Palm Court, nine original stained glass Tiffany windows with the hotel's monogram remain. The three stained glass windows above the front desk and the stained glass dome are reproductions. In his autobiography The Moon's a Balloon (1972), Academy Award-winning actor David Niven described a trip from New York to Florida in the late 1930s, during which he decided to spend
96-429: The first floor, patterned brick, and stone panels. The roof employed Spanish tile. The home has a mahogany library and ironwork done by G. Krug and Sons . Ginter never married and lived in the home with John Pope, his younger business associate and long-time friend, and Ginter's niece Grace Arents. When Ginter died on October 2, 1897, the home and his fortune were left to Arents (1848-1926). In 1924, Ginter House became
108-511: The first site for the newly founded Richmond Public Library . The home's library was used by students of the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health which was established across the street in 1925 (now Founder's Hall). When the new Richmond library (aka Dooley Library) was opened in 1930, its books were moved to the new location and the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health purchased Ginter House and property in 1930. It
120-552: The night at the Jefferson Hotel. Niven said that, as he was signing the guest registry in the lobby, his eyes snapped open with amazement when he noticed a full-sized alligator swimming in a small pool located six feet from the reception desk. The alligators at the Jefferson became world-famous. Old Pompey, the last alligator living in the marble pools of the Jefferson's Palm Court, survived until 1948. Bronze statues of
132-429: Was a wire fire that destroyed three-fifths of the hotel. There were no casualties; however, the marble statue of Thomas Jefferson sculpted by Edward Virginius Valentine was almost destroyed. The sculptor and crew pushed the statue on a mattress and pulled it to safety. During the rescue process, the head broke off. Eventually, the sculpture was repaired. In March 1944, another fire occurred. Six people were killed during
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#1732790729088144-494: Was used for its library, as classroom space and offices. It later became used only for administrative functions. The school became Richmond Professional Institute (RPI). It merged in 1968 with the Medical College of Virginia to become Virginia Commonwealth University. An east wing was added as part of a WPA project in 1939 and a west wing was added on to the back in 1949. An example of Richardsonian architecture , it
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