Fairfax Hall, previously known as Brandon Hotel (1890-1913), Brandon Institute (1913-1920), and Fairfax Hall Junior College or Fairfax Hall School (Junior College program discontinued in 1956) (1920-1975),https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/136-0010_Fairfax_Hall_1982_Final_Nomination.pdf is a historic building located at

Waynesboro, Virginia Waynesboro (; formerly Flack) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a principal city of the Staunton-Waynesboro micropolitan area, Staunton-Waynesboro Metropoli ...

. It was built in 1890, and is a -story, very long and rambling resort hotel building in the shingled mode of the Queen Anne style. It has an irregular symmetry with towers at either end of the facade, a one-story

porte cochere Porte may refer to: *Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire *Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy *John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator *Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who competes ...

, a distinctive octagonal belvedere and cupola, and glassed in first story porches. Also on the property is a contributing

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

nasium, built in 1926 in the

European Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and surpass the idea ...

style. It was originally occupied by the Brandon Hotel resort. The Brandon closed in 1913 but the building reopened as a school. In 1920 the school became Fairfax Hall, a junior college and preparatory school for girls. After the school closed in 1975, it was leased by the

Virginia Department of Corrections The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is the government agency responsible for community corrections and operating prisons and correctional facilities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The agency is fully accredited b ...

as a training academy but then purchased and reopened as a retirement home. an
''Accompanying photo''
/ref> It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982. Former students of the college and preparatory school for girls include film star

Martha Hyer Martha Hyer (August 10, 1924 – May 31, 2014) was an American actress who played Gwen French in '' Some Came Running'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her autobiography, ''Finding My Way: A ...

, musician

Nikki Hornsby Nikki Hornsby is an American musician who has been active in the pop, Americana, country, and blues genres as a songwriter, singer, and guitarist. From Long Beach, California, Hornsby grew up in Fairfax County of Northern Virginia. She is the ...

, politician

Julia Brownley Julia Andrews Brownley (born August 28, 1952) is an American businesswoman and politician who has been the United States representative for California's 26th congressional district since 2013. A Democrat, she served in the California State Ass ...

, and DAR President-General Presley Merritt Wagoner.

References

External links

Fairfax Hall
Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Queen Anne architecture in Virginia Renaissance Revival architecture in Virginia Hotel buildings completed in 1890 Buildings and structures in Waynesboro, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Waynesboro, Virginia {{WaynesboroVA-NRHP-stub