Here in Alexandria, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the smallest and largest homes sold last month (March 2024).
Largest homes sold
- 32 N Donelson St — Seminary Hill — $1,683,999 (6 beds | 4.5 baths | 4,378 sq. ft.)
- 808 S Lee St — Old Town — $2,200,000 (5 beds | 4.5 baths | 3,573 sq. ft.)
- 6273 Masefield Ct — Bren Mar Park — $780,000 (4 beds | 3.5 baths | 3,570 sq. ft.)
Smallest homes sold*
- 2940 Sycamore St — Del Ray — $800,000 (3 beds | 2 baths | 1,653 sq. ft.)
- 215 Tennessee Ave — Del Ray — $780,000 (3 beds | 2 baths | 1,653 sq. ft.)
- 817 Duke St — Old Town — $1,105,000 (2 beds | 1.5 baths | 1,674 sq. ft.)
*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.
Alexandria Civil Rights leader Ira Robinson, the first Black man elected to the City Council after Reconstruction, died last Friday at his home in Temecula, California.
Robinson was 85 years old.
Robinson was elected to the City Council in 1970. Before the election, 19-year-old Robin Gibson was murdered at a 7-11, which sparked three days of rioting. Robinson was credited with settling the riots and, at one point, saving the life of an Alexandria policeman surrounded by an angry crowd.
Robinson served on the City Council for three years and was instrumental in working toward full compliance with desegregation laws.
During the many challenges in America at a time, Ira Robinson represented hope for a new America,” said McArthur Myers, who was the youth coordinator for Robinson’s campaign.
In a release, the City of Alexandria detailed some of Robinson’s history with the city:
During his three-year term on the Council, Robinson was instrumental in bringing about major changes in education, housing, and law enforcement, including a 1971 secondary school integration plan that brought the Alexandria public schools into full compliance with federal desegregation law. Nearly three decades after that plan consolidated three previous high schools into T.C. Williams secondary school, the turmoil of that period – and the resulting football championship that reunited the community – remained such a potent story that it became the basis of the Disney movie, Remember the Titans.
Also marking that era in Alexandra politics were the titanic, but civil, debates between Robinson, a Democrat, and Wiley F. Mitchell, a Republican, whose priorities for the city, though often at odds, led to steady increases in minority hiring, the distribution of moderate and low-income housing city-wide, the development of the Metro area transit system, and eventual redevelopment of the Potomac Railroad Yard, Cameron Station, and the neighborhoods along the Route 1 corridor and Mount Vernon Avenue.
Before his election to council, Robinson focused much of his activism on changing the face of policing in the city and on relations between police officers and Alexandria’s African-American youth. In 1968, he served on the Alexandria Crime Commission and, the following year, as adviser to a Michigan State University team, hired by the city manager to produce a “Study of Police Community Relations” in Alexandria. Robinson also served on the Alexandria Commission on Criminal Justice and the Metropolitan Council of Government’s Task Force on Drug Abuse. He also chaired the city’s Urban League voter registration drive, served on the boards of the local branch of the NAACP and the Boys Club, and was a member of the Alexandria Economic Opportunities Commission and the Mayor’s ad hoc Committee on Health Care. An avid sports fan, he advocated for young African American athletes who needed legal advice.
Here’s a roundup of all the events, live music, and entertainment happening around Alexandria this weekend; enjoy!
Are you organizing an event? Submit events to ALXnow.
Friday, April 26
Things To Do
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Homeschool Day at Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Friends of Duncan Library Spring Book Sale at Duncan Library
- 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Military Children 2024 World Expo at Military Children’s Six Foundation
- 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Alexandria Teen Science Cafe/Aerospace at Chinquapin Park Recreation Center
- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Craft Beer Sail Featuring Port City Brewing Co. with Tall Ship Providence Foundation
- 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Carnivorous Workshop at PlantHouse
Live Music & Entertainment
- Alexandria Bier Garden: Secondhand Chaos at 9:30 p.m.
- Blackwall Hitch: Too Extra Band from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s: Franklin Music Duo from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- Evening Star Cafe: Cole Larravide at 8:30 p.m.
- Fish Market: DJ at 9 p.m.
- Galactic Panther: Rugan Lewis + Sol Reactor + The Orange Slices from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Classic Rock & The Beatles Music Bingo at 7 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: The Satin Doll Trio from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Lost Boy Cider: The Porch Lights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: The Wavos & Pat Garvey at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere Music Hall: The Stylistics at 7:30 p.m.
- The Light Horse: Lloyd Braun Band at 9:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live piano music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Two Nineteen Restaurant: Fat Chance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Monarch Montessori School is now enrolling infants, toddlers and three year-olds for its full-time Montessori program. We offer a seamless enrollment process which involves submitting an application for review, paying the enrollment fee and submitting the remaining enrollment materials before your proposed start date.
At Monarch Montessori School, we aim to provide an authentic Montessori learning experience. At our Alexandria location, we currently have 8 openings in our Primary classroom (ages 3-6), and 6 openings in our Toddler classroom. Additionally, there are 3 infant openings at this time.
Our first floor space is an open concept. Infants and toddlers share the same large classroom. Children ages 3-6 are in two classrooms on our second floor. Each classroom has one lead and assistant guide. We offer a year-round program, with intermittent breaks for Spring Break and Winter Break.
Port City’s Optimal Wit, its most iconic beer, took home the gold medal at the World Beer Cup.
The World Beer Cup is an international beer competition hosted by the Brewers Association that breaks prizes down be categories of beer. The ceremony was held yesterday (Wednesday) in Las Vegas.
In the category of Belgian-style Witbier, Port City won out over 88 other entries.
Silver went to Belgian Wheat from Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Roseland Virginia, while bronze went to Upland Wheat from the Upland Brewing Company in Indiana.
OPTIMAL WIT JUST WON GOLD AT THE WORLD BEER CUP! IT’S THE BEST BELGIAN WIT IN THE WORLD!!!! https://t.co/euF8oWwkJU
— Port City Brewing Co (@PortCityBrew) April 25, 2024
Scholarship Fund of Alexandria Annual Gala & Auction
Do good while having a good time at the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria’s 38th Annual Gala and Auction at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. The fun begins with a 2-hour open bar reception while mingling with 499 other Alexandrians who
Say hello to the sweetest pup ever, Starla Rose!
This 5 year-old hound dog is up for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and enjoys walks that include plenty of time for sniffs.
Starla Rose loves the company of people and staying curled up on the couch, according to AWLA spokesperson Erin Shackelford.
“However, she’ll always take breaks from snoozing for some belly rubs and a few zoomies around the yard,” said Shackelford. “Starla Rose knows the cue for sit and is learning more.”
This girl will make a wonderful addition to any home. Plus she is house and crate trained!
To learn more about Starla Rose, you can read her entire profile. And to start the adoption process email [email protected] or call 703-746-4774.
Alexandria’s biggest giving day has done it again. On Wednesday, ACT for Alexandria raised $2.9 million for 188 nonprofits.
The final tally will keep changing as donations will continue on the Spring2ACTion website until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 28.
Spring2ACTion is the main annual fundraiser for most of the participating nonprofits. It’s also the second straight year that ACT for Alexandria eclipsed their $2.5 million goal by collecting $2.9 million.
The top three recipients are Move2Learn with $152,086, Carpenter’s Shelter with $150,214 and Casa Chirilagua with $89,610. It’s the second straight year that Move2Learn won the top spot.
“We are so grateful for all of the 7,325 donors, 188 nonprofits, 67 businesses, and 33 sponsors that participated in this year’s incredible event,” said Heather Peeler, President and CEO of ACT for Alexandria. “Alexandria’s nonprofits do so much for our community and today’s outpouring of support means that they can continue to provide critical programs and services in the months to come.”
Peeler said that 67 Alexandria businesses donated a portion of their proceeds toward the effort. She also said that, after working to collect millions, her staff of seven employees will be taking the next two days off to collect themselves.
“It takes a lot of planning and preparation, even though it seems like it all happened in one day,” Peeler said. “Every year feels a little different for different reasons… What hasn’t changed is that deep commitment to serving our nonprofit community. It’s astounding.”
Spring2ACTion has raised more than $23 million over the last 14 years.
Spring2ACTion Top 10:
- Move2Learn | Powered by Runningbrooke raised $152,286 from 157 donors
- Carpenter’s Shelter raised $150,214 from 272 donors
- Casa Chirilagua raised $89,610 from 270 donors
- ALIVE! raised $80,804 from 352 donors
- Alexandria Tutoring Consortium raised $79,440 from 204 donors
- Stop Child Abuse Now of Northern Virginia raised 76,527 from 102 donors
- The Campagna Center raised $63,229 from 86 donors
- King Street Cats raised $60,101 from 460 donors
- Space of Her Own, Inc. raised $59,400 from 164 donors
- Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association raised $57,098 from 122 donors
We’ve officially crossed the $2 million mark in giving! Thank you to everyone who’s supported our nonprofits. #Spring2ACTion pic.twitter.com/WbN1ACKjPr
— ACT for Alexandria (@ACTforAlex) April 24, 2024
We extend a heartfelt thanks to each & every one of you who helped make #Spring2ACTion a success! From the tireless efforts of the nonprofit staff to the generous contributions of sponsors, partners, and donors, this event wouldn't have been possible without your support. pic.twitter.com/E8PPdziJTC
— ACT for Alexandria (@ACTforAlex) April 25, 2024
Crumbl Cookies is coming to Alexandria’s Bradlee Shopping Center.
There have been reports of the cookie store coming to the Bradlee Shopping Center for years, but construction is finally underway.
Construction started at the end of March at 3618 King Street to convert the 1,900-square foot space into a cookie shop. The shopping center now lists the store as one of its tenants.
Crumbl Cookies founded in 2017 in Utah, and the franchise now has more than 900 locations. In 2022, the company reportedly sold more than $1 billion in cookies. That’s a lot of dough.
Crumbl Cookies is known for their weekly rotating menu of cookies.
The nearest Crumbl Cookies to Alexandria is in the Kingstowne area of Fairfax County (5810 Kingstowne Towne Center).
Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: Expect partly sunny conditions with a high around 62°F, accompanied by a north wind at 6-9 mph. As for Thursday night, the sky will be partly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 43°F, while the east wind blows at a gentle 3-6 mph.
🚨 You need to know
An indie bookstore crawl across Northern Virginia this weekend will hit two Old Town book shops, Patch reported.
The NoVa Indie Bookstore Crawl marks Independent Bookstore Day (April 27).
The event involves customers going to any participating bookstore and picking up a crawl passport, then getting it stamped at each bookstore they visit. The two Alexandria locations are Old Town Books (130 S. Royal Street) and Hooray for Books (1555 King Street).
Collecting four stamps wins the participant a free advance reader copy. Eight stamps earn a tote bag. 10-15 locations get the participant entered into a raffle for the Grand Prize, which includes contributions from every store.
The crawl is scheduled to run through May 31.
📈 Wednesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 24, 2024.
- Office building housing The Motley Fool in Carlyle being sold at foreclosure auction (3045 views)
- Alexandria CVS stores ransacked of cosmetics and suspect gets busted in Maryland (2635 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Address: 1211 Wilkes Street
Neighborhood: Old Town Village
Type: 3 BR, 2 (+1 half) BA townhouse — 2,780 sq. ft.
Listed: $1,849,000
Noteworthy: Charleston style home with courtyard entrance patio
With impeccably updated style, this almost 2800 sf home not only has intimate cozy spaces for everyday living, but its open layout and indoor outdoor living design make it an entertainer’s dream.
Step into the welcoming Charleston style home with a courtyard entrance patio perfect for hosting neighbors. An open bright living space creates an air of comfort and sophistication with traditional architectural details including impressive columns at the entrance to the formal living room, crown molding and sparkling hardwood floors in the gracious dining room, and a custom designed fireplace surround in the family room with built-in cabinets and a bay window overlooking the front courtyard.
Step through to the gourmet kitchen with every amenity — large island with seating, custom cabinets with lighted upper display, expansive quartz counters, stainless steel appliances including a double wall oven and wine refrigerator, and a built-in breakfast nook with views through the glass door to a second private patio. Upstairs open the French doors into the primary suite with soaring cathedral ceilings, a spa bath out of a magazine, two custom designed walk-in closets, and a private balcony with Trex deck. Two spacious secondary bedrooms share an updated hall bath.
Just four blocks from King Street’s eclectic shops and acclaimed restaurants and only a quick walk to Metro and Whole Foods, this wonderful Old Town Village community boasts a saltwater pool, clubhouse, and gym. Every detail has been thoughtfully designed to make this a very special place to call home.
Listed by:
Lisa Groover — McEnearney Associates
[email protected]
(703) 919-4426
