Screen shot of construction time-lapse courtesy of City of Alexandria.
Alexandria City Hall and Market Square undergo renovations.
As Alexandrians find their way to relocated local government services, City Hall is getting a green glow-up. Renovations are underway to update the 153-year-old building with state-of-the art geothermal energy.
City Hall closed in January for the extensive project, which includes HVAC, plumbing and electrical upgrades, as well as improvements to technology, accessibility and security. The adjoining Market Square Plaza and garage are also undergoing major structural repairs.
Government departments have been relocated until the work is completed, which is expected by the end of 2028. Many services currently are being offered at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center.
“It’s important to preserve the gem that is Alexandria City Hall, the building really is special,” said Jeremy McPike, director of general services for the City of Alexandria. Over the years, it has served many functions, including police and fire stations, court facility and a Masonic temple, he noted. Market stalls were once located on the first floors of the west and north wings and in the courtyard.
“One of the state’s boldest examples of the Second Empire style,” is how the Virginia Department of Historic Resources describes the building. It was designed in 1871 by Washington architect Adolph Cluss on the site of the 1817 city hall, which burned in 1871, designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe. A Colonial Revival addition was added in the early 1960s.
In 1984, the building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The city has contracted design firm LEO A DALY to lead the renovation of the building, while Alexandria firms Rust|Orling Architecture and LandDesign are handling the design of Market Square.
The historic building had been using a natural gas system that relied on a retrofitted cast iron boiler “that dates back to 1945,” McPike says. “It goes back to the old doors where you shoveled in coal” through a chute. When everything is done, “we may keep some of the old parts,” he joked.
The old boiler will be replaced by a closed loop, vertical geothermal well system, using wells that will be drilled under the garage. The project also will have solar panels offsite to augment energy needs.
The Market Square garage is coming down this summer, McPike adds, which requires properly encapsulating and removing hazardous materials.
Geothermal provides a tiny fraction of the country’s energy overall, but a paper by research institute Brookings finds “a growing national pattern of geothermal use in public buildings.” The paper notes that, while initially expensive, geothermal “lacks much of the historical baggage associated with other major energy sources, such as air pollution and nuclear waste.”
The city hall project aligns with the city’s overall green building policy, according to Ryan Freed, climate action officer for the City of Alexandria. The Alexandria City Council approved a Green Building Plan in January that calls for work toward carbon-neutral new buildings by 2030.
Meeting that green goal requires not only using cleaner energy, but making sure the building operates as efficiently as possible, according to McPike. “We’re spending a lot of effort on the building envelope,” carefully adding insulation without damaging the structure.
The plan includes a green roof and “rainwater harvesting and reusing for gray water. We’re reducing our water consumption” as well, McPike adds.
Geothermal projects may be expensive, but Freed notes the wells can operate for more than 50 years. “It’s cost effective. We want that long-term investment because we know this building is going to be around another hundred years.”
This isn’t the city’s first geothermal project.
In 2023, Douglas MacArthur Elementary School became the first net-zero ready school in the Alexandria City Public School (ACPS) system, using a closed-loop system located under an artificial turf field. With a net-zero building, the amount of energy produced onsite matches the energy used by the building and its occupants.
The re-imagined Minnie Howard campus of Alexandria City High School opened its energy-efficient, net-zero ready campus in time for the 2024-2025 school year.
And the City of Alexandria’s Office of Housing rehabilitation project for the Pendleton Rooming House includes a geothermal HVAC system, as well as extensive exterior and interior modifications. During segregation, the Pendleton building was a Green-Book style sanctuary for African American travelers. Since the early 1970s, the property has operated as a rooming housing for Alexandria’s working poor.
Versions of geothermal heating/cooling systems are becoming more common in residential projects, and Freed believes occupants of Alexandria’s historic brick houses may be able to benefit from the expertise gained at city hall.
“We’re sharing what we’re learning. We have an outreach program. We’re not just telling you what you should do with your home. We’re living it as well.”
View the timelapse camera here: City Hall Renovation Project | City of Alexandria, VA and read more about the overall renovations on this City of Alexandria page.
Photo courtesy of writer
Stephenie Overman
Stephenie Overman is a freelancer who specializes in workplace, climate and health issues.
