The Rosemont Historic District is a
historic district in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1992.
Rosemont is a lushly planted residential area occupying some 84 acres in northwest Alexandria, located adjacent to
Alexandria Union Station (ALX). It was developed between 1908 and 1914 by a group of Washington, Alexandria, and Philadelphia investors. The houses were built near the trolley line, allowing residents to work in Washington and live in a suburban neighborhood. Rosemont's more than 450 residences are a prime example of the era's middle-class architecture. House styles range from the
American Craftsman,
American Foursquare and
Arts and Crafts movement to the sedate composition of
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...
homes. The intact original street plan reflects suburban planning ideals of the early 1900s
City Beautiful movement
The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...
.
There are 456 contributing buildings, including 336 houses and apartment buildings, one school, one commercial building, and 118 private garages. One contributing structure and one contributing object were previously listed in the National Register as part of the
Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia Multiple Property Submission: Southwest # 2 Boundary Marker. The historic district is bounded on the southeast by the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad comp ...
line.
During the 1940s, the Rosemont neighborhood used restrictive covenants to exclude Asian-Americans, African-Americans, and any person of the "Hebrew or Jewish Race."
References
Geography of Alexandria, Virginia
Houses in Alexandria, Virginia
History of Alexandria, Virginia
Historic districts in Northern Virginia
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Alexandria, Virginia
Colonial Revival architecture in Virginia
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