Most residents of Alexandria have heard of the Spite House at 523 Queen St.
The bright blue house, about 7 ft. wide, is famous for being one of the narrowest homes in the world. It's also famous for supposedly being built out of spite by John Hollensbury, who was tired of horse-drawn carriages flying down the alley and hitting the walls of his house.
The house is featured on tours of Alexandria, has numerous articles written about it and has been turned into Christmas tree ornaments.
But did you know the Spite House on Queen Street isn’t the only "spite house" in Alexandria?
There are three other houses in Alexandria similar to the Spite House — they were built in alleys.
An alley house, simply, is a home that has been built in an alley. Despite the fun story of the Spite House, alley houses were built for convenience more often than out of anger.
Alley dwellings were particularly popular in the District, as a result of population density and a need for cheap housing, according to Urban Ecologist. In Alexandria, an alley house would have been a cheap way to build, since the owner would only have to construct the rear and front walls and a roof.
205 King St.
One of these alley houses has been hiding in plain sight. She’s Unique, a boutique at 205 King St., operates out of one of the alley houses. Only a couple blocks up from the water, it is commonly passed by but not noticed as one of the alley houses.
In 1994, the house was featured in Washington Post's Washington Home publication for the innovative way its then-owner and interior designer Sheldon Odland had arranged the place to feel homey. Odland told the Post when he moved to the alley house from his large residence next door he had to get rid of some of his clothes in order to keep all his books.
Odland's tips for making a small place comfortable: Have high legged furniture to expose more floor space and use warm colors. He choose to paint a wall orange.
This alley house is relatively wide, measuring 11 feet wide (as measured by Old Town Home blog). The house was built around 1812.
In 1994 the residence, which was located above a then-Birkenstock shoe store, was a total of four rooms, including the bathroom and a kitchen, didn't have space for a washing machine.
403 Prince St.
Residents of Prince Street may have noticed the next alley house, although maybe not for its size. The house at 403 Prince St., while tiny at less than 8-feet wide and 600 sq. ft., is known for its holiday decorations. It is currently covered in spooky attire for Halloween.
The home, pictured below, last sold in 2016 for $424,000. It is known to have been built sometime before 1883, when the owner Samuel Janney gave his son Henry the rental profits from the alley house and the three story house next door, according to Historic Alexandria Virginia Street by Street.
1401 Prince St.
The last known alley house in Alexandria is at 1401 Prince St. It is unique from the other spite houses in that it is only one story tall. The home is a little more than 8-feet wide and has been incorporated into the home next to it.
The same color as the building to the east — the rear of 131 S. West St., which houses Christ House — it almost blends in. It also looks like a miniature replica of the buildings to its left. Note in the photo below the similar framing above the front door and window.
This alley house is the youngest alley house, built between 1891 and 1895 according to Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. While this is the newest of these homes in Alexandria, the late 1800s was a common time alley houses were built, according to Historic Alexandria Virginia Street by Street.
The next time you are exploring Old Town, stop by these houses to marvel at their character. They are still fun to see, even without an interesting story of spiting a neighbor.
