After some back and forth about the “Old Town” letters, plans to revive the marquee above the former Old Town Theater are headed to the Alexandria Board of Architectural Review tonight (Wednesday).
The site at 815 1/2 King Street is undergoing renovation to turn into a Patagonia — an outdoors clothing and equipment store. The location was build as the Richmond Theater in 1914, according to a staff report, with a permit for “moving pictures, bowling alleys and billiards.” In 1929, a metal marquee was added, which may have been replaced or updated in the 1950s.
The distinctive “Old Town” sign wasn’t added until 1980, but staff had earlier nudged Patagonia towards keeping the sign intact.
“While the ‘Old Town’ sign on top of the marquee was a later replacement for the ‘Richmond’ theater sign, it had been in place for a significant period of time and was embedded in the cultural memory and considered historic in its own right, so the previous owner was convinced to retain a slightly modified version of that sign,” staff said in the report. “Staff is pleased that the applicant has agreed to retain the culturally significant Old Town sign.”
Alexandria has fairly rigorous sign policies and an illuminated sign would typically be verboten, but staff said an exception should be made in this case for the Patagonia sign being installed.
“While internally illuminated individual letter signs are not typically approved in the historic districts, staff finds it appropriate in this location for a couple of reasons,” staff said in the report. “The theater has a history of BAR approved internally illuminated signs — starting with ‘Richmond’ in the 1950s and ‘Old Town’ in 1980. Furthermore, staff also supports the illuminated sign due to its location under the marquee because the canopy keeps the first floor of the building in shadow nearly all the time and the moderate illumination will identify the store entrance.”
The store itself is planned to open in September, according to Alexandria Living Magazine.
The former Old Town Theater isn’t the only King Street locale from the 1800s getting a touch up to be reviewed at the meeting tonight; a pair of buildings on upper King Street with could undergo a renovation to take them back to their pre-1950s design.
Insert photo via City of Alexandria
Recent Stories
At a town hall meeting last Sunday, most City Council members said — in no uncertain terms — that they are opposed to a ward system in Alexandra. Currently, all…
Alexandria is bracing for a federal government shutdown at midnight on Sunday (Oct. 1). The city is preparing a package of services for impacted city residents, should Congress not come…
Shuttles are running between the Potomac Yard Metro station and National Airport Metro station after a derailment this morning. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said there were no injuries…
Just Listed includes a 1 BD/1 BA freshly painted condo with an in-unit washer/dryer, hardwood floors and built-in cabinetry.
If you had a chance to enhance a child’s future with a time commitment of less than 2 hours a week, how would you respond? You have that opportunity right now to join over 200 Alexandrians as a reading tutor volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC).
ATC tutors work with one child in kindergarten, first, or second grade in Alexandria public schools who need extra help with reading. Tutors meet with their Book Buddy 1-2 times each week for 30 minutes October-May at school, during school hours. Many struggling readers only receive one-on-one instruction through this program, and it makes all the difference. Last year, ATC served 195 children, of whom 82% ended the year reading on grade level and 96% made substantial reading gains. But the need is great, and we are still seeing learning lags from the pandemic.
This year, ATC plans to significantly increase the size of the program to reach over 250 students and to serve every elementary school in Alexandria. This is very exciting news, but we will only succeed if we can recruit more tutors. ATC trains you, matches you with a child, and provides ongoing lesson materials and support.
If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!
In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!
We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
