Rendering courtesy of the City of Alexandria
An early rendering of the renovation project at 615-621 King St., by Winstanley Architects & Planners
Vermont-based King Arthur Baking Company will be opening only their second location in the country this year in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.
The retail store and baking school will be located at 615 King St., according to building permits filed with the City of Alexandria.
"Interior alterations on the 1st floor for King Arthur Bakery School," the permit notes. "Classes will be taught to paying customers who would like to learn and obtain skills in the art of baking." Interior alterations are underway in the 5,285-square foot space.
The location for the baking company retail and class space, at 615 King St., was previously a Walgreens, which leased the space from the building's longtime owner, the Silverman family.
The King Arthur Baking Co. will be located on the street level of a mixed-use development, to be called The Mansly, which includes 24 residential units above both 615 and 621 King St. A Shake Shack will be opening at 621 King St.
Photo by Alexandria Living Magazine
Mixed-use project under construction at 615-621 King St. in Old Town Alexandria.
The Mansly is a project of The Silverman Group, designed by Alexandria-based Winstanley Architects & Planners. General contracting firm Whiting-Turner is managing construction. The building is named for Edith Mansley, who inherited the building in 1970 and passed it on to her daughters.
Coincidentally, noted by the Alexandria Board of Architectural Review when approving the project, a bakery figured into the 615 King St. building's history.
615 King Street
"The townhouse at 615 King Street was built in the early 19th century and was operated as a confectionary by David H. Appich as early as 1858. The bakery was closed in 1917..." the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) wrote when looking into the building's history.
The retail space was subsequently used as a women’s clothing store, the BAR noted. "The building that originally stood at 619 King Street was likely built in the mid-19th century. This building was operated as a barber shop until the 1910s. By 1919, Columbia Gramaphone opened its doors and remained in business until December 1921. A footwear sales business operated in this location until 1929."
In 1929, the two buildings that stood at 615 and 619 King Street were demolished and replaced with the two-story commercial building that is located on the site today. The original two buildings were bought by JC Penney and demolished in order to build a new commercial structure to house their Alexandria store. JC Penney shut its doors in 1954. It was replaced by a Drug Fair drug store until 1967 when a women’s clothing store took over the property. In 1975 Pier 1 occupied the building and remained until they closed the location in 1979. Despite protests by some citizens,
A McDonald’s moved into the building in 1980, eventually closing the location in 2003. The most recent tenant in the building was Walgreens.
621 King Street
Photo courtesy of the Alexandria Board of Review
Circa 1921 photograph shows two buildings originally located at the 615 King Street site.
In 1906, the two 19th century buildings that stood at 621 and 623 King Street were partially demolished and combined into a single commercial building including the replacement of the King Street façade, according to the Board of Architectural Review.
More from the BAR's history notes that "the combination of the two buildings was designed by Alexandria architect William Leon Clark and built by Julian Knight, to accommodate the R. E. Knight store which operated in this location until 1963. At that time the property became the Brown’s Men’s Shop, and the ground floor storefront was modified. In 1979 the building was purchased by Burke and Herbert Bank, the most recent building tenant, who again modified the storefront."
King Arthur Baking Company history
Founded in 1790, the King Arthur Baking Company traces its roots to Boston, where it was originally named Henry Wood & Company, importing flour.
In 1896, the company, by then called the Sands, Taylor, & Wood Company, introduced its "new and improved" flour at the Boston Food Fair, naming it "King Arthur" for its "Arthurian attributes: "Purity, loyalty, honesty, superior strength, and a dedication to a higher purpose.”
Other important dates in the company’s history:
- In 1984, the company moved from Boston to Norwich, Vermont.
- • In 2000, the King Arthur Flour Bakery and Baking Education Center opened their doors in Norwich.
- • In 1996, owners Frank and Brinna Sands, in order to ensure King Arthur would remain in good and caring hands after their retirement, decided to sell the company to employees.
To learn more about the company, tune into The Things Bakers Know, the King Arthur Baking Podcast.
