D.C.-based real estate investment company Carr Properties has been awarded Alexandria’s top archeology award.
On Tuesday, Oct. 28, the City Council will announce the award and commend the company for its “commitment to the highest quality archaeological preservation at the site of the Alexandria Canal in Old Town North,” according to a proclamation. Carr Properties partnered with the city after uncovering part of Alexandria’s history as it worked to redevelop a 1980s-era office building into a mixed-use apartment building.
“While preparing the site in Old Town, we uncovered a section of the historic Alexandria Canal stonework—an incredible reminder of the city’s historic past,” said Alison Wertzler, Carr Properties’ senior vice president for development. “We worked closely with the City of Alexandria and our archeology consultant, Wetland Studies and Solutions, to ensure its proper preservation, as part of our deep commitment to being a respectful steward of the community and its history. Receiving this award is a tremendous honor and a reflection of our team’s dedication to preserving the legacy of the communities we help shape.”
The award, established in 2007, is named after late activist and retired U.S. Army colonel Bernard “Ben” Brenman, who was the chair of the city’s archeological commission for 21 years.
“The award recognizes businesses, organizations, families, professional preservationists, volunteers, students, and other individuals who have demonstrated work or efforts in archaeological investigation, research, site protection, education, public interpretation, open space design, collections, or conservation,” according to the city.
Construction of the seven-mile-long Alexandria Canal was completed in 1831, built by slave and forced labor, according to the Office of Historic Alexandria.
Below is the city proclamation:
WHEREAS, the Alexandria Archaeological Commission has established the Bernard “Ben” Brenman Archaeology in Alexandria Award given in October in recognition of Virginia Archaeology Month to appreciate partners who have made important contributions toward Alexandria’s archaeology and history; and
WHEREAS, leaders on the Alexandria Archaeological Commission like Ben Brenman envisioned a community archaeology program for Alexandria, in which sites across the entire city, representing all peoples and times, would be valued by everyone living in and visiting Alexandria today; and
WHEREAS, the Brenman Award acknowledges high quality work, innovation, commitment, or extraordinary efforts in preservation, research, education, public appreciation, and advocacy for archaeology; and
WHEREAS, the 2025 Brenman Award highlights the excavation, preservation, and stewardship of significant aspects of Alexandria’s seaport history, including a major segment of the fourth lock and third basin of the Alexandria Canal, built in 1845; and
WHEREAS, a 2025 Brenman Award for Outstanding Developer is presented to Carr Properties for the company’s commitment to the highest quality archaeological preservation at the site of the Alexandria Canal in Old Town North; for partnering with the Alexandria Archaeology division, the Friends of Alexandria Archaeology, volunteers, and community members to share this significant find with the public; for partnering with the City to relocate the original canal stones for future use in a park; and, thereby, enriching the lives of Alexandria residents and visitors with history, for decades past and decades to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ALYIA GASKINS, Mayor of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, and on behalf of the Alexandria City Council, do hereby congratulate: “Carr Properties” for their work in the City of Alexandria.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Alexandria to be affixed this 28th day of October 2025.
More on the canal from the city is below.
The construction of the Alexandria Canal began in 1831, the year that the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal opened. It opened for traffic in Alexandria in 1843 and was completed down to the Potomac River by 1845. The Canal required the aqueduct bridge and the C&O Canal to be in service and all were expensive and difficult to maintain. The Alexandria Canal was out of commission during the Civil War, reopened in 1867, and then ceased operation in 1886 when the Aqueduct Bridge was damaged. By the early 1900s many usable finished or dressed stones from the lock walls had been repurposed and Alexandrians began dumping trash and fill into the former canal…
Archaeologists have excavated portions of the Alexandria Canal. In the late 1970s and into the 1980s, archaeologists uncovered a 90-foot section of the canal, including Lift Lock No. 1 (the tide lock). These archaeological investigations informed the design of present-day Canal Center and its Tide Lock Park, which includes a partially rehabilitated and reconstructed lock. Some canal stones were removed during excavation in 1985, marked with plaques, and placed in public areas throughout the city, including Beatley Central Library, Fort Ward Park, Rivergate Park, and Windmill Hill Park.
In 2024-2025, archaeologists uncovered the remains of Lock No. 4 and the third basin on the 900 Block of N Pitt Street. Alexandria Archaeology anticipated that the masonry remains of this large-scale piece of historic infrastructure may be preserved despite the development of a 1980s office building, and required the developers hire archaeologists to monitor and document the excavations. A sample of the cut stones were salvaged and stored in adjacent Montgomery Park for eventual re-use within a public waterfront park. View a 3D model of the excavated Lock No. 4 and third basin.
