The Lyceum is a historic museum and event space in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

. Built in 1839 on the initiative of Quaker schoolmaster Benjamin Hallowell, it has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

since May 27, 1969, the year of its purchase by the city. Constructed in the then-popular Greek Revival style from bricks recycled from the original St. Mary chapel, it originally was intended as a permanent home for scholarly activities. It hosted both the Alexandria Lyceum (which featured speakers including

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

) and the Alexandria Library. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, it served as a

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. After the war, the Lyceum was dissolved and John Bathurst Daingerfield bought the building for his daughter Mary Helen and her husband, Philip Hooe, who was a descendant of the town's first mayor, merchant Robert Townshend Hooe. It later served as an office building, so virtually none of the original woodwork remains. During the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

it was recognized by the

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

(HABS).Lyceum, 201 South Washington Street, Alexandria, Independent City, VA
/ref> In 1937, a separate building was constructed about four blocks north (on the site of the former Quaker graveyard) to house the growing city's library, which was the scene of a sit-in in 1942 and now is one of several branches. Today the Lyceum, whose two-story Doric portico fronts Washington Street (an urban section of the

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), is a visitor center and museum in its own right (complete with gift shop). It also again hosts various scholarly and cultural events and lectures, as well as administrative offices of the Office of Historic Alexandria. That department of the city's government is charged with conserving, interpreting and promoting this and seven other relatively small museums which bring the city's varied history to life. The Office of Historic Alexandria is accredited by the

American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a non-profit association whose goal is to bring museums together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals w ...

and is a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.

Gallery

File:Lyceum exhibit space.jpg, Exhibit area in the museum File:Lyceum exhibit space 2.jpg, Another exhibit area File:Lyceum staircase.jpg, The Lyceum's central staircase File:Lyceum gift shop.jpg, Gift shop display

References

External links

* Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Buildings and structures completed in 1839 National Register of Historic Places in Alexandria, Virginia Greek Revival houses in Virginia Buildings and structures in Alexandria, Virginia Museums in Alexandria, Virginia History museums in Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Brick buildings and structures in Virginia {{Virginia-museum-stub

Gallery

See also

References

External links