2010 Alexandria House and Garden Tour
April 9th, 2010 Categories: Alexandria, Old Town
The 2010 Alexandria House and Garden Tour will kick off one week from today on Saturday, April 17 from 10:00am to 4:00pm.
An annual presentation of The Garden Club of Virginia, The Hunting Creek Garden Club and The Garden Club of Alexandria, the tour benefits historic gardens and landmarks in Virginia.
Five Old Town houses are featured on the tour and the houses may be visited in any order so let’s get started:
The Alexander McConnell House at 201 Duke Street. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this Federal clapboard house was built in 1785-95 along with two adjacent houses at 223 and 225 South Lee Street. At that time the houses shared a common kitchen and stable. Today it has a charming side garden with a vine covered pergola and a brick patio. John H. Patterson, owner.
220 South Fairfax Street is home to an Italianate style house built in 1885. This site was the previous location of a Quaker meeting house and graveyard, a Presbyterian church, and the temporary home of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church while the current church was being built.
Ordinarily photographs are not allowed inside but we are lucky enough to know the owners and were able to get a few interior pictures.
Charlie and Susan have traveled widely in Southeast Asia and have used wonderful native art along with family heirlooms to decorate. Clock faces consistent with the age of the house line the front hall stairs. Charlie and Susan Davis, owners.
The Customs House at 501 Duke Street, a classic Federal house, was home to George Washington’s nephew and Martha Washington’s favorite niece. The couple were married at Mt. Vernon in 1785 and purchased the residence shortly thereafter.
By 1799, the building was being used as the Customs House by Charles Simms who later surrendered Alexandria to the British in the War of 1812 (and for which he was censured). The house is surrounded on three sides by a walled garden that includes a kitchen herb garden, vegetables and perennials. Lauren Belvin, owner.
806 Prince Street has a rich history and is known as the Parson Johnston House/Robert E. Lee Camp Hall. Originally built in 1852 by the then rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, this classic Greek Revival house was used as a girl’s school and once housed the Alexandria Library.
Today it is the home of the Mary Custis Lee Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The structure features a central hallway with two rooms on either side. Other original features include wrought-iron work, moldings, millwork, fireplaces and gasoliers. The upstairs houses a Civil War museum.
The Bayne-Fowle House at 811 Prince Street was constructed in 1854 and used as a hospital during the Civil War. The design is significant in that it is an unaltered example of a wealthy merchant’s residence of the mid-19th century.
There are three stories, a raised English basement and a full attic. Inside are pier mirrors, fireplaces, staircases, shutters, floors and doors original to the house.
Listed as a Virginia Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, the house is owned by Richard Klinger and Jane Slatter. On a personal note, Virginia and I lived next door at 813 Prince Street when we were first married.
Each ticket also provides all day admission to the Lee-Fendall House, Carlyle House Historic Park, Mt. Vernon, Woodlawn and Gunston Hall Plantation.
Advance tickets are $35 and are available at The Alexandria Visitor’s Center; the Athenaeum; Market Square Shop; The Enchanted Florist; Notting Hill Gardens; Red Barn Mercantile; and Reunions.
For Internet tickets, click here.
Enjoy the 2010 Alexandria House and Garden Tour, it’s a wonderful way to take in Alexandria’s rich history. Oh, be sure and take in the annual plant sale at River Farm (included in your ticket). You’ll be glad you did.
Michael
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[...] – Check out the Alexandria House and Garden Tour this weekend – it’s a great way to get a feel for Old Town [...]
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