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Courtesy of the Lee-Fendall House
The front of the Lee-Fendall House at 614 Oronoco Street.
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Courtesy of the Lee-Fendall House
The foundation of the historic Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden is in need of repair. The home was built in 1785.
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Courtesy of the Lee-Fendall House
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Courtesy of the Lee-Fendall House
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Courtesy of the Lee-Fendall House
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Courtesy of the Lee-Fendall House
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Courtesy of the Lee-Fendall House
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Courtesy of the Lee-Fendall House
As owners of historic properties in Old Town know, below-grade structural problems can be difficult and expensive to fix. Now the Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden is raising money to fix the foundation of the historic home.
The house has stories from every historic period since the home was built the late 1700s — including the Civil War, Prohibition, the Labor Movement and more. The house museum’s leadership team are now working hard on exhibits and projects that tell stories from the “full spectrum of the home,” said Executive Director John Christiansen. “This home is American History and everything related to it.”
As the only independent history museum in the City of Alexandria, the Lee-Fendall House depends on revenue from tours, donations and other funding sources for upkeep and repairs. Unlike City-owned or operated historic museums, the Lee-Fendall House does not receive direct, standard funding from the City of Alexandria.
Repairs can be expensive. Recently, the kitchen chimney had to be shored up following the 2011 Piedmont, Virginia earthquake and 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.
Now, it’s the foundation of the home that needs extensive repairs. The foundation was originally constructed of stone and brick and is more than 230 years old. It was stabilized in the 1960s and 1970's with non-porous tuck pointing and sealants that have been forcing moisture to seep through the brick and stone of the foundation itself. That’s weakening the foundation, along with the vibration from Washington Street traffic and, simply, age.
Repairs are estimated at more than $30,000 and could be higher. The Lee-Fendall House has raised some money through a September 2017 fundraiser and through Giving Tuesday just after Thanksgiving — but much, much more is needed. In some sections, the foundation feels like wet sand, and stone and sealants are flaking away.
What is now known as the Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden was built across the street from Robert E. Lee’s childhood home in 1785. The Victorian-style home was built by Philip R. Fendall and was a residence for the Lee and Fendall families through the early 1900s, except when it functioned as a Union Army hospital during the Civil War.
The house was purchased by Robert Downham, an Alexandria liquor dealer in the early 1900s — his family lived there until 1937. In the late 1930s, Downham transferred the property to John L. Lewis, the prominent and controversial president of the United Mine Workers of America and founder of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (the CIO part of what is now the AFL-CIO). After Lewis died in 1969 the house was rented to tenants until the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation (VTHP) bought it and opened the museum.
Visits to the house and museum are growing quickly — attendance has doubled in the past year. The staff is working hard to boost the home’s visibility in the community with new exhibits, more events, outreach to school groups and increased marketing.
To donate to the Lee-Fendall House's foundation restoration project, click here to donate through Razoo or mail donations to the Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Donations are tax-deducible.
