Father, Architect, Artist
April 28, 1932 – November 26, 2025
Daughters Tracy Browne, Leslie Browne and Kari Browne announce the passing of their father, Henry ‘Hank’ Browne AIA, who left peacefully on November 26th, 2025, at the age of 93.
Hank was a Nationally-recognized and well-regarded architect whose visionary designs and lifelong dedication to the built environment left an indelible mark on the Charlottesville area and communities he built, the properties he restored, and the environment in which he worked.
Born in Hamden Connecticut, Hank developed an early fascination with form, structure, and space that blossomed into a celebrated career spanning more than seventy (70) years. After graduating from the Architectural School at the University of Virgina in 1955, he embarked on his successful career and rose to prominence with a creative imagination for the potential new use of buildings and sites, and sensitivity to scale and knowledge of classical details – from the big picture down to tiny details.
Continuing his interest in historic buildings, he, as the United States representative, graduated from the International Center, Restoration of Monuments and Sites (ICROM) in Rome, Italy in 1984.
Throughout his career, he was responsible for or contributed to numerous landmark projects such as:
U. S. Treasury Building Interior and Skylight Restoration, Washington, DC
Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial Preservation Planning, Washington, DC
The Executive Mansion Exterior Restoration, Richmond, VA
The Downtown Mall (as an advisor and President of the Downtown Merchants
Association), Charlottesville, VA
The 1960s Reconstruction of the Wine Room, Monticello
Historic Michie Tavern (numerous projects), Albemarle County, VA
Old Cabell Hall Pre-Planning Study, and the Historic Alumni Football Hall, University of Virginia
‘Old Main’ and numerous other significant structures at The Miller School, Albemarle County, VA
The Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, Staunton, VA.
Explore Museum, Roanoke, VA.
Pine Knot Restoration Study, Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Camp, Keene, VA.
Meeting Street Commercial Block Rehabilitation, Charleston, SC
Old Town Hall, Fredericksburg, VA.
National Bank of Fredericksburg Restoration., Fredericksburg, VA
‘Old Main’ at Bethany College, Bethany, W. Va.
Alexander Campbell Residence, Founder Church of Christ, Bethany, WV.
Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Restoration, Hillsboro, WV
Old Stone Presbyterian Church, Lewisburg WV
Preservation Planning for the Cities of Fredericksburg, VA, and the Towns of Lewisburg, Bethany, and Wellsburg, WV
And over 200 other similar projects including Historic Residential Projects
As one of the founders of Grigg, Wood, & Browne Architects, he mentored generations of young architects, fostering a culture grounded in curiosity, technical rigor, and empathy for places of old and the people who built them. Throughout his career, his influence extended beyond the drafting table into the industry, through lectures, speaking engagements, the writing of architectural guidelines for historic structures and towns thus advocating for the importance of architecture and the preservation of historic structures and sites.
Hank, as the 1974 President of the Virginia Society AIA (now AIA Virginia), oversaw the restructuring of the AIA in Virginia with the addition of the former Northern Virginia Section of the DC Metro area into the Virginia Society that now encompasses the entire Commonwealth. In 1989, he received the Distinguished Service Award from AIA Virginia, and in 2010, he received the prestigious Milton L. Grigg FAIA Award from AIA Central Virginia.
In a personal quest, he embarked on the restoration of Walker’s Mill in Gordonsville, Virginia, circa 1783 (used by Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson) and subsequently was awarded the 1987 Preservation Award from the Preservation Alliance of Virginia. In later years he became an author, publishing two books on the historic and often forgotten ruins of Virginia and Maryland. He also became an accomplished painter filling homes and offices with a collection of paintings of his travels and love of barns.
He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and a devoted Wahoo fan until his last days.
In addition to being survived by his daughters, he leaves behind his sons-in-law Jeff Grounds, Clark Gathright and Sushil Wagle, his much-loved grandchildren, Carson Stone and Adelaide Stone, and countless friends and family whose lives he touched.
A memorial service will be held on January 17th, 2026, 12:30 PM at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, VA, followed by a Celebration-Of-Life at 2:00 at Farmington Country Club, also in Charlottesville. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made in his honor to Hospice of the Piedmont to acknowledge the exceptional care he received.
