history | ALXnow

Old Town residents and business owners cry foul over new George Washington Birthday Parade route

Published January 31, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated January 31, 2023 at 5:55PM

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, as viewed from the King Street metro station (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Updated at 6 p.m. Old Town residents and business owners are up in arms for not being officially notified of a route change for the George Washington Birthday Parade on Feb. 20 (President’s Day).

The parade will shut down large sections of Old Town North and Old Town near the King Street-Old Town Metro station, restricting parking and vehicular access for residents and businesses. The parade will start at 1 p.m. at the intersection of Pendleton Street and Fayette Street, and marchers will walk south down Fayette Street, hang a right on King Street and then end at the foot of the George Washington National Masonic Memorial at King Street and Commonwealth Avenue.

News

Alexandria seeking funding to preserve the oral history of historic black cemetery in Old Town

By Vernon Miles

Published January 19, 2023 at 1:45PM

Douglass Memorial Cemetery following flood damages in 2021 (photo courtesy Michael Johnson)

There are nearly 200 years worth of stories buried at 1421 Wilkes Street.

The site started being used as a burial place for Black Alexandrians in 1827, but was officially established as the Douglass Memorial Cemetery in 1895. The last burial was in 1975.

News

New trail highlights Black history across southern Old Town

By Vernon Miles

Published January 18, 2023 at 10:45AM

A group of Black Alexandrians at Jones Point in 1897 (image via Alexandria Black History Museum)

A new trail is launching in Alexandria next month that highlights Black history across southern Old Town.

The new South Trail Route is an extension of the African American Waterfront Heritage Trails’ North Trail Route that launched in 2021. Together, both trails run from Montgomery Street to the southern tip of Jones Point Park.

News

Alexandria aims to rename three Confederate-honoring streets per year

By Vernon Miles

Published January 11, 2023 at 3:45PM

Forrest Street, named for Nathan Bedford Forrest (image via Google Maps)

At a City Council meeting last night (Tuesday), Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson unveiled the next stage of plans to ramp up the renaming of streets that honor Confederate leaders, the Washington Post first reported.

While the city has renamed the Alexandria portion of Jefferson Davis Highway and removed the Appomattox statue, streets honoring Confederate leaders like the “Gray Ghost” John Singleton Mosby or Ku Klux Klan founder Nathan Bedford Forrest still exist around the city.

News

Alexandria hosting Virginia Black History Month Gala in February

By James Cullum

Published December 28, 2022 at 11:10AM | Updated December 28, 2022 at 12:51PM

Actor Leon Preston Robinson is the keynote speaker at the 23rd Annual Virginia Black History Month Gala on Feb 25 at the Mark Center Hilton. (via Facebook)

Black resistance is the theme of the upcoming Virginia Black History Month Gala in Alexandria.

Actor, singer and producer “Leon” Robinson will be the keynote speaker for the annual event, which will be held at the Hilton Mark Center (5000 Seminary Road) on Friday, February 24, and Saturday, February 25. Robinson performed roles in “The Temptations,” “The Five Heartbeats,” “Cool Runnings,” “Above the Rim,” and as Little Richard in the 2000 film “Little Richard.”

News

BAR defers historic home modification decision, admits it is ‘a crappy situation’

By Vernon Miles

Published December 22, 2022 at 2:30PM | Updated December 23, 2022 at 11:48AM

Exterior piping at 319 North Alfred Street (image via City of Alexandria)

(Updated 12/23) Alexandria home owner Harold White paid a local contractor to install an extensive HVAC system to a historic home (319 North Alfred Street), and after a Board of Architectural Review (BAR) decision last night it seems likely he’ll have to pay to have it taken out again.

BAR members said the case serves as an unfortunate reminder to building owners in a historic district: always get city approval before making exterior modifications.

News

National Park Service grant will boost Freedom House restoration plans

By Vernon Miles

Published December 20, 2022 at 9:50AM

Freedom House Museum, 1315 Duke Street (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

A grant from the National Park Service (NPS) will help close the funding gap needed to restore Alexandria’s new Freedom House Museum.

Once a major hub for the slave trade, 1315 Duke Street reopened in May as a museum dedicated to telling the stories of those trafficked through the building. While the exhibits are open to the public, there is still significant work needed to be done to preserve the building.

News

Alexandria could force Parker-Gray homeowner to remove unauthorized additions

By Vernon Miles

Published December 19, 2022 at 1:45PM

Exterior piping at 319 North Alfred Street (image via City of Alexandria)

If you live in a historic district, always remember to get approval from the city before making a modification to your house.

One local at 319 North Alfred Street, within the boundaries of the Parker-Gray District, could be forced to remove HVAC piping (item 7) outside of the building after it was installed without the approval of the Board of Architectural Review (BAR).

News

Alexandria seeking public input on next steps for the Freedom House Museum

By Vernon Miles

Published December 13, 2022 at 9:45AM | Updated December 14, 2022 at 9:52AM

Freedom House Museum (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Within what was once a major hub for the trafficking of enslaved people, the building reopened as the new Freedom House Museum earlier this year. Now, the City of Alexandria is opening up next steps for the property to public discussion.

The Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) is working on a master plan for the site, weighing options for everything from a name change and exhibit specifications to a discussion of the museum’s overall mission.

News

Inova development could honor woman who pioneered Alexandria healthcare

By Vernon Miles

Published December 7, 2022 at 1:30PM | Updated December 8, 2022 at 9:58AM

The Inova At Landmark campus conceptual design. (Via Inova)

(Updated 12/8) A street near the planned Inova hospital anchoring the Landmark redevelopment could celebrate a woman who founded one of the city’s first hospitals.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously at a meeting last night approve of renaming Healthway Place to Julia Johns Place.

News

ARHA renames headquarters to celebrate local civil rights champion

By Vernon Miles

Published November 21, 2022 at 9:50AM

A. Melvin Miller building (image courtesy ARHA)

Last week, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) gave its headquarters an official name — one honoring a local civil rights activist and affordable housing advocate.

The newly christened A Melvin Miller Building honors A. Melvin Miller. After serving two years in the army, Miller move to Alexandria in 1958. Miller launched a criminal law practice but worked pro bono on school desegregation issues. Miller served as spokesperson for The Secret Seven, a group of Black civil rights pioneers in Alexandria. Miller was chair of ARHA from 1970 to 1977 and from 2001 to 2012.