Alexandria Historic District

Alexandria Historic District

Old Dominion Bank Building, now an art gallery called The Athenaeum, in Old Town
Location Alexandria, Virginia
Coordinates 38°48′12″N 77°2′47″W / 38.80333°N 77.04639°W / 38.80333; -77.04639Coordinates: 38°48′12″N 77°2′47″W / 38.80333°N 77.04639°W / 38.80333; -77.04639
Built 1748
Architect Multiple
Architectural style Colonial, Late Victorian, Federal
NRHP Reference # 66000928
VLR # 100-0121
Significant dates
Added to NRHP November 13, 1966[1]
Designated NHLD November 13, 1966[2]
Designated VLR November 5, 1968[3]

The Alexandria Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District in Alexandria, Virginia. Encompassing all of the city's Old Town and some adjacent areas, this area contains one of the nation's best-preserved assemblages of the late-18th and early-19th century urban architecture. The district was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.[2][4][5][6]

History

The city of Alexandria was chartered in 1748, and its city center was laid out as a grid of streets on the west bank of the Potomac River. One of the surveyors involved in this work was future United States President George Washington. The city grew to become a major seaport serving much of northern Virginia, and its streets were lined with Federal style townhouses. The city remained a major port, dealing principally in grain and tobacco, until the American Civil War. Elements of its historic importance as a port continues in the survival of several waterfront warehouses from that period.[4]

Other National Historic Landmarks within the district include:

Other National Register-listed properties within the district include:

The district boundaries are the Potomac River to the east, Queen Street to the north, Jones Point and the Capital Beltway to the south, and Alfred Street to the west. There are a few extensions beyond these bounds, notably along Washington Street as far north as 2nd Street.[4] The commercial center of the district is around S. Washington Street and King Street. Notable buildings in that area include the Art Deco Virginia Public Service building at 117 S. Washington, the Post Office and Courthouse at 200 S. Washington, and the Burke and Herbert Bank at 625 King.[6]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "Alexandria Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  3. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Edward P. Alexander (March 28, 1969), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Alexandria (pdf), National Park Service
  5. ↑ National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Addendum, Alexandria Historic District, Alexandria, Virginia (pdf), National Park Service, October 31, 1984
  6. 1 2 Itemization of properties included in Alexandria Historic District, Alexandria, Virginia (pdf), Virginia DHR, November 27, 2001

External links

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