1 of 5
Virtue Feed & Grain
2 of 5
Virtue Feed & Grain
Restaurant
3 of 5
Virtue Feed & Grain
4 of 5
Virtue Feed & Grain
Virtue Feed & Grain Alexandria VA Lounge Bar
The upstairs lounge bar in Virtue Feed and Grain, a restaurant and tavern in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. The restaurant is located in a renovated historic building that once served as a feed and grain warehouse.
5 of 5
Virtue Feed & Grain
The building that now houses Virtue Feed & Grain has hundreds of historic elements throughout — from the glass on the bar to the bricks in the dining room.
To preserve the unique history and authenticity of the building and alley, top local artisans, builders and craftsmen were brought in to restore and reinvent the old warehouse that had been left to the mercy of time. The name ‘Virtue’ emerged from the hopeful intentions of those who thoughtfully restored and reclaimed a piece of history by re-establishing the old warehouse to feed the people.
In reusing recycled materials from abandoned structures, the goal in developing Virtue Feed & Grain was to remain authentic to the original structure, benefitting both the architectural and ecological environment. Bonitt Builders, Paul Beckmann/Bartzen + Ball Architects, Decorium Design and artist Andre de Moller worked with the property owners to restore and reinvent the warehouse.
This historic building was once used as a feed house in the 1800s. Remnants of the original sign painted on the side of the building remain, reading Walter Roberts Inc. Hay, Grain, Flour and Feed.
Bordering Wales Alley, the project was serendipitously meant to be: a former Alexandria Mayor and Irishman, John Fitzgerald, shared ownership of the alley where beer was sold as early as 1786. It was later named for Andrew Wales, the owner of the brewery.
Bricks removed to create the expansive windows and doors were reused to build the pillars and dividing wall in the downstairs dining room. Likewise, the original concrete floor was carefully grinded and polished to preserve history’s footprints.
The interior walls, floors, and bar shelves were all constructed with period wood, each heralding from a unique past: The upstairs floor came from an old oak bar in the Wisconsin Dells, dating from the pre-Civil War era. The wall boards in Virtue’s interior were found in a Victorian-era Amish barn in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, built in 1885.
The old Seaport Restaurant (now Starbucks on King and Union streets) supplied the large ceiling beam that supports the cubist-style painting in the staircase.
Wired, wavy glass panels, previously abandoned from a pre-World War II military supply reserve located on the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania, have been refurbished to fabricate both bars.
Not only have remains of the early past been saved, signs of more recent years are on display as well. Stair treads of the previous tenants—the beloved Olsson’s Books & Records—were planed and sealed to construct the large wood dining tables.
Directly in front of the entry, the structural post has a high-water mark from Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
The American tavern-style menu at Virtue offers fresh flavors and made-from scratch dishes, with seasonal variety. Virtue offers Sunday brunch, weekday happy hour (all day on Mondays!), and a large, pet-friendly patio. Virtue is a premier event venue in Old Town Alexandria, offering a stunning space for wedding ceremonies and receptions, corporate dinners and holiday parties, milestone celebrations, and more! Virtue is one of several locations under the leadership of Alexandria Restaurant Partners, whose sister restaurants include The Majestic, Vola's Dockside Grill, Lena's Wood-fired Pizza & Tap, Palette 22, Theismann's, and Mia's Italian Kitchen (opening April 2018), all of which offer private event spaces, happy hours, dog-friendly patios and weekend brunch.
Alexandria Restaurant Partners operates several award-winning restaurants in the region.
Learn more and sign up for email deals at www.alexandriarestaurantpartners.com. To book an event, email Amber Shelley, events manager, at amber@alexrestpart.com.
