This handsome scaled-down version of the White House was completed in 1932 to serve wives, widows, daughters, and sisters, of Confederate veterans. Following a fire at the previous Home for Confederate Women in downtown Richmond, Mrs. Andrew Jackson Montague, wife of the then governor, campaigned for a fireproof facility. Sufficient funds were obtained by 1929; the site chosen was on the grounds of Camp # 1 of the Confederate veterans (located in what is now the Boulevard Historic District). The design was provided by Richmond architect Merrill Lee. The choice of the White House as a model is not without irony. The White House, however, traditionally has been associated with domesticity and its image offered a stately setting for these revered ladies. With the passing of the last eligible occupants in the 1980s, the Home for Confederate Women property was transferred to the neighboring Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for conversion to studios and offices.