The Alexandria Historic District is a

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

. Encompassing all of the city's

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

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 A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1966.

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 The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

. One of the surveyors involved in this work was future United States President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. 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 The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Elements of its historic importance as a port continues in the survival of several waterfront warehouses from that period. Other National Historic Landmarks within the district include: * Christ Church * Gadsby's Tavern Museum Other National Register-listed properties within the district include: * Bank of Alexandria *

Alexandria City Hall The Alexandria City Hall also known as the Alexandria Market House & City Hall, in Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of t ...

The district boundaries, as defined by the National Register and the

Virginia Landmarks Register The Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) is a list of historic properties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The state's official list of important historic sites, it was created in 1966. The Register serves the same purpose as the National Registe ...

, are the Potomac River to the east, Queen Street to the north, Jones Point and the

Capital Beltway The Capital Beltway is a Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase " inside ...

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. The commercial center of the district is around S. Washington Street and King Street. Notable buildings in that area include the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

Virginia Public Service building at 117 S. Washington Street, the Post Office and Courthouse at 200 S. Washington Street, and the Burke and Herbert Bank at 621 King Street. Within this larger district is a smaller historic district as defined by the National Historic Landmark designation, consisting of the central portion of the larger district."Alexandria's Listed Historic Districts"
Virginia Department of Historic Resources

Gallery

File:515 North Washington Street.jpg, 515 North Washington Street (1848) File:Burke & Herbert Bank, 621 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia.jpg, Burke & Herbert Bank at 621 King Street (1906) Image:Old Pier 1 building in Alexandria.jpg, 117 S. Washington St. (c.1930s) Image:Alexandria Academy.jpg, The Alexandria Academy Image:HistoricAlexandriaRoundel.jpg, Roundel used to designate a historic building in Alexandria

References

External links

100-0121 Alexandria Historic District
from

Virginia Department of Historic Resources The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is the State Historic Preservation Office for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The agency maintains the Virginia Landmarks Register (the first step for properties and districts in Virginia seeking listin ...

Map of Alexandria Historic District
from Virginia Department of Historic Resources {{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia, state=collapsed Geography of Alexandria, Virginia History of Alexandria, Virginia Historic districts in Northern Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia National Historic Landmarks in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Alexandria, Virginia Federal architecture in Virginia Georgian architecture in Virginia Greek Revival architecture in Virginia Neoclassical architecture in Virginia Victorian architecture in Virginia

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links