This event has been canceled due to concerns about coronavirus.
As part of Historic Garden Week, the oldest and largest garden tour in the country, five of Old Town Alexandria’s private homes and gardens will open to the public Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the Old Town Garden Tour in Old Town Alexandria. The homes will also feature beautiful flower arrangements, created by the members of the Hunting Creek Garden Club and the Garden Club of Alexandria, both sponsors of the tour.
Overlooking the Potomac with views of the nation’s capital, Old Town Alexandria radiates charm while safeguarding its rich historic roots. Established in 1749, Alexandria was a major seaport prior to the Revolutionary War, occupied by Union Troops during the Civil War and a torpedo production site during World War II. In 1946, Alexandria was the third city in the country to establish a historic district to preserve its architectural heritage.
This easy walking tour includes private homes and secluded gardens nestled along the tree-lined streets of the Historic District, refreshments at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House and a marketplace at the Athenaeum. Boutique shopping and fine dining are just steps away. What’s more, the tour ticket allows access to several nearby historic gardens and properties, including two Garden Club of Virginia restoration projects, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens and Green Spring Gardens.
Hosted by the Hunting Creek Garden Club and the Garden Club of Alexandria, co-chairs this year are Lucy Rhame and Christine Roberts.
Tickets are $50 per person and will be available on tour day at the Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. and the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 316 S. Royal St. Tickets will not be sold at individual tour homes. Discount advance tickets are $40 and available at vagardenweek.org and in person at the Alexandria Visitors Center at 221 King St. Group tours are $35 per person and are available by contacting Suzanne Willette: willlettsuzanne@hotmail.com or Susan Winn at susanwinn@gmail.com.
Complimentary light refreshments will be available at Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 316 S. Royal St., from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. the day of the tour.
On the day of the tour, be sure to make time for Marketplace at the Atheneum, 201 Prince St., where specialty boutique vendors will be located on two floors of the 1851 Greek Revival building that includes an art gallery.
If you're traveling from outside Alexandria, the nearest Metro Station is King Street (Blue and Yellow lines). You can catch a free trolley from the station to the Visitors Center.
Paid parking is available at: Cameron and North St. Asaph streets; Cameron and North Pitt streets; South Pitt Street between Prince and King streets.; North Fairfax Street at King Street; North Fairfax Street at King Street; and, South Union Street between Prince and Duke streets.
Tickets include admission to the following five private homes and gardens, refreshments at 316 South Royal St. and six nearby historic properties (descriptions provided by organizers):
226 South Lee St.
226 S. Lee St.
This freestanding, six-room, 2½-story clapboard home is an example of Old Town’s vernacular architecture. Such homes express a distinctive regional cultural heritage, having not been designed, but rather constructed through traditional building methods, using local materials and builders. This home was built in 1800 and originally consisted of two rooms over two rooms. Unique to this home is its fully detached nature which allows for light and air from all sides. Its style is typical of a successful Alexandria workman’s home. The former owners included a rifleman, a baker, a printer, and a driver. Renovations made in 1997 accommodate modern needs, adding more light and air through the addition of windows to the southern façade. The current decor skillfully blends old and new, which is so distinctive in many of Old Town’s interiors. Of special note are the original floors and the historic living room mantel. Jackie Maher, owner.
216 Wolfe St.
This 2½-story brick townhome has its main entrance on the side, an unusual feature for houses in Old Town. Originally, the house had two rooms with fireplaces on each of the first and second floors plus an unfinished attic reached by a ladder. It was constructed as a semi-detached home with 400 South Fairfax as its “twin,” and the two properties still share two large chimney structures. The exact date of construction is unknown, but records show it was likely between 1799 and 1819. Three of the home’s original fireplaces remain, all in working order, including a “Rumford” in the front parlor. This type of fireplace is much shallower than the others, and was designed by Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, to project more heat than a traditional fireplace. Since purchasing the property in 1979, the current owners have updated the kitchen, expanded the third floor, partially finished the basement, and redesigned the garden. Thirty years in the U.S. Foreign Service has resulted in a plethora of art and furniture from Southeast Asia and Africa. Of particular note is the slit drum in the garden carved from a single tree trunk. Barbara and Robert Pringle, owners.
The Cary-Fielder House, 215 Wolfe St
This two-story, semi-detached brick townhome has a unique siting for the
area. It sits back off the street, allowing for light, air, and lovely gar
215 Wolfe St.
dens on three sides. During the 1794 auction of lots that became the nucleus of the City of Alexandria, this lot was purchased by the Honorary Lord Mayor William Ramsay. Two years later it was sold to Joseph Cary, friend of George Washington. In 1802, the property was for sale again with a single brick house believed to be 213 Wolfe. It wasn’t until 1842 that George Swain, a local builder, constructed the current structure. Over the years three additions have been made, one to the front and two to the rear. Today’s facade dates from the mid 19th century. A root cellar contains the remains of an early arched fireplace. A brick wall with iron gate encloses the patios with their lush plantings and shade trees. The current owner has renovated the kitchen and master bath and added period touches. The owner’s love of primitive furniture from the 1860s is evident throughout.
The McNamara House, 509 S. Lee St.
The McNamara House is a 2.5-story brick townhome sited on a bluff overlooking Windmill Hill Park and the Potomac River. Built in 1811 by Captain John McNamara and his wife, Winifred Lawson, this Federal Period home has decorative Flemish Bond on the front façade and marble steps leading to a paneled front door. The entrance is surrounded by a semi-circular keystone architrave with a spider web arched transom. Inside, this arch detail is repeated in the foyer and the passage between the double parlors. The front parlor contains a unique hand-carved fireplace surround that dates from the original construction, and the rear parlor is used by the current owners as a dining room. A step-down leads to the rear ell addition that was construct
ed in 1843 and now contains the kitchen and family room. There is a side “horse alley” that leads to the rear garden, which tax records show was once home to two horses, three cows, two sheep, and a pig. It is now home to three rescued box turtles and an espaliered pear tree that helps feed them. The current owners have made many improvements and updates to the home, while striving to retain much of its historic charm and integrity.
611 S. Fairfax Street
In 1830, a simple dwelling was constructed on the site of what is now a vastly expanded home. The original clapboard structure consisted of two rooms over two rooms. The first owner was a stonemason working on the construction of the George Washington Monument. In 1870, a side addition was constructed which now contains the kitchen. It was probably during that renovation that the facade was “Victorianized.” It wasn’t until the 1950s t
hat an enclosed porch was added. During the same time, like many houses in Old Town, it became a boarding house with each boarder having a bedroom, but sharing the kitchen. By the 1960s, the home had sold again and a major expansion took place. Over the past 16 years, the owners have combined the porch and kitchen and added a rear addition to accommodate a first-floor bath and a laundry room. The original coal fireplace in the front room has a locally sourced stone surround. An extensive art collection features both Realist and Impressionist artists of this century including works by Elisabeth Estivelet and Pedro Fraille. Lynn and Jonas Neihardt, owners.
Places of interest included with ticket:
GCV Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St. When British merchant John Carlyle completed his riverfront house in 1753, this was the grandest mansion in the new town of Alexandria. The stone architecture, furniture and decorative finishes seen in the restored building reflected Carlyle’s status and wealth. The Garden Club of Virginia restored the front landscape to the mid-18th century period. A garden with a boxwood parterre graces the rear of the house. carlylehouse.org
The Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden, 614 Oronoco St. at North Washington St.
Built in 1785 by Philip Fendall on land purchased from Revolutionary War hero “Light Horse Harry” Lee, this historic house museum presents an intimate study of 19th century family life. Home to several generations of the famed Lees of Virginia (1785-1903) and labor leader John L. Lewis (1937- 69), the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. leefendallhouse.org
River Farm, 7931 East Boulevard Dr. As the headquarters of the national nonprofit American Horticultural Society, it aims to be a national showcase for environmentally responsible gardening and horticultural practices. The 25-acre site overlooking the Potomac River features a blend of formal and naturalistic gardens, including a four-acre meadow, an orchard, a children’s garden, and a teaching garden scheduled to open in spring 2020. There also is a manor house featuring botanically themed art. ahsgardening.org.
GCV George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Eight miles south of Alexandria on the George Washington Memorial Pkwy. and situated on the Potomac River lies the home of George and Martha Washington. From the end of the American Revolution in 1783 to his election to the presidency in 1789, Washington replaced outbuildings, reshaped gardens, created new lawns, planted trees and even realigned roads and lanes. With funding from Historic Garden Week, the Garden Club of Virginia has helped to restore Mount Vernon’s bowling green, one of the major landscape features on this vast plantation. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, owners. mountvernon.org
GCV Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd. This public garden and historic site includes Virginia’s only Beatrix Farrand garden, which was recently restored by the Garden Club of Virginia. In 1784, gentleman freeholder John Moss built a brick house on several hundred acres of farmland. In 1942, young power couple Michael and Belinda Straight bought the house and 33 acres and engaged Farrand to design a simple garden room behind the house: a spacious lawn enclosed by a boxwood crescent with a stone retaining wall. The GCV restored the stone wall, rejuvenated the boxwoods, and redesigned a more recently-installed perennial bed to reflect Farrand’s signature plant choices. In 1970, the Straights deeded their house and 18 acres to the Fairfax County Park Authority. fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring.
Gunston Hall, 15 mi. south of Alexandria off U.S. Rt. 1 on Rt. 242. This 550-acre National Historic Landmark was the home of George Mason (1725-1792), author of The Virginia Declaration of Rights. The estate consists of a Georgian mansion, c.1755, and reconstructed kitchen, dairy, laundry and schoolhouse. The Potomac River is viewed from the historic boxwood garden. During April the conceptual plan for the restoration of the river-side garden will be on display. While not a current restoration project of the Garden Club of Virginia, the GCV assisted Gunston Hall with landscaping work from 1949-53. gunstonhall.org.
About Historic Garden Week in Virginia
Virginia's Historic Garden Week is presented by the Garden Club of Virginia and is the only statewide house and garden tour in the country. Now in its 86th year, Historic Garden Week encompasses 31 tours organized and hosted by member clubs. Visitors will be welcomed to over 250 of Virginia's most beautiful gardens, homes and historic landmarks during "America's Largest Open House." This 8-day statewide event provides visitors a unique opportunity to see unforgettable gardens at the peak of Virginia's springtime color, as well as beautiful houses sparkling with over 2,300 flower arrangements created by Garden Club of Virginia members.
Tour proceeds fund the restoration and preservation of more than 40 of Virginia's historic public gardens and landscapes, a research fellowship program, and a Garden Club of Virginia Centennial project with Virginia State Parks. Historic Garden Week has raised millions of dollars to fund projects across Virginia, including conservation and restoration efforts at treasured landmarks like Mount Vernon and Stratford Hall. To learn, go to www.gcvirginia.org and look under “Our Work”.
