renovation | ALXnow

Published March 2, 2026 at 3:15PM

Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail win the Trail of the Year Award from the Public Lands Alliance (via Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail/Facebook)

Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail, a volunteer group dedicated to trail maintenance and education efforts, was recognized with an award last month for its trail renovation work.

The organization was honored with the “Trail of the Year” award from the Public Lands Alliance at the nonprofit’s conference in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Feb. 23. The group received the award for its partnership with the National Park Service to renovate the George Washington Memorial Parkway’s trail surface and rest areas from 2024 to 2025.

News

Old Town Pool renovation updates expected at city meeting next week

By Katie Taranto

Published February 25, 2026 at 11:00AM

Old Town Pool (via City of Alexandria)

The City of Alexandria is expected to provide an update next week about ongoing plans to replace the Old Town Pool.

City staff will share updates on the project’s design and construction timeline, and attendees will be able to provide feedback at the meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at the Oswald Durant Center (1605 Cameron Street).

News

Old Town Farmers’ Market relocates to N. Royal Street tomorrow

By Katie Taranto

Published January 9, 2026 at 12:30PM

Old Town Farmers' Market (via City of Alexandria)

The Old Town Farmers’ Market is officially relocating this weekend in advance of construction on City Hall and Market Square.

The Saturday morning market is moving across the street from Market Square to the 100 block of N. Royal Street before construction is set to begin on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

News

Old Town Farmers’ Market will relocate in January amid City Hall renovations

By Katie Taranto

Published November 24, 2025 at 10:30AM

Old Town Farmers' Market (via City of Alexandria)

The Old Town Farmers’ Market is relocating across the street from Market Square in January to accommodate upcoming renovations at City Hall.

The market is relocating just steps away at the 100 block of N. Royal Street and the courtyard at Tavern Square. The move will begin on an unannounced date in January and last throughout two to three years of City Hall construction.

News

Review board reworks City Hall restoration proposal despite concerns from city staff

By Katie Taranto

Published November 20, 2025 at 1:45PM

Alexandria City Hall in Old Town in 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Following hefty city pushback, the Board of Architectural Review unanimously advanced plans to renovate City Hall and Market Square with a new certificate of appropriateness at last night’s public hearing (Wednesday).

Board member Andrew Scott introduced a motion to approve a final design stipulating the inclusion of decorative chimneys, lifted archways and other 19th-century flourishes at the site of the 1871 building, garnering some dissent from Director of General Services Jeremy McPike.

News

Nonprofits collaborate to build new temporary housing for families in crisis

By Vernon Miles

Published July 29, 2024 at 3:45PM

Common area after renovations (image courtesy HomeAid)

Alexandria nonprofit ALIVE! has a new trio of affordable housing units thanks to some help from HomeAid National Capital Region, a nonprofit building homes for those in need.

The project took a three-story, single-family home and created three separate housing units along with office space.

News

Sweeping City Hall renovation plans could also reshape Market Square and nearby parking garage

By Vernon Miles

Published October 30, 2023 at 4:05PM | Updated October 30, 2023 at 4:40PM

As Alexandria leaders prepare to vacate City Hall for a few years while the building is renovated, a wish list is already building for what a new and improved City Hall could look like.

The center of city government, rebuilt in 1871 after the previous building burned down, is in rough shape and the much-needed renovations have long been kicked down the road.

News

Black History Museum closed for three weeks for renovations to protect building from water and mold

By Jo DeVoe

Published July 24, 2023 at 3:30PM

The Black History Museum of Alexandria at 902 Wythe Street (via Google Maps)

The Alexandria Black History Museum closed yesterday (Sunday) for nearly three weeks for interior renovations to ward off mold and water damage.

The city announced the temporary closure, through Aug. 10, in a release on Friday.

News

High-rise West End office building converted into 212-unit apartment tower

By James Cullum

Published March 2, 2023 at 11:00AM

Construction has wrapped on converting the office building at 4900 Seminary Road into a residential apartment building (via Google Maps)

The conversion of a high-rise West End office building into a 212-unit apartment tower has been completed, according to developer PRP.

Washington, D.C.-based firm PRP bought the 12-story, 209,000-square-foot property at 4900 Seminary Road in 2018. The property is named Sinclaire on Seminary, and average apartments are 850 square feet in size with ceilings up to 10-feet-tall.

Around Town

Disorganized? Del Ray resident Amy Smucker is reorganizing post-pandemic homes and offices

By James Cullum

Published December 2, 2022 at 10:10AM

An office after being redone by Amy Smucker Home Organization (courtesy photo)

There’s nothing like a freshly organized living and work space, especially when it’s done by someone else.

For as long as she can remember, Amy Smucker has been the organizer in the family and among her friends. The Del Ray resident is a professional photographer and has a clear vision for how she wants things to look.

News

Alexandria’s City Hall just got an F rating, and renovation is years away

By James Cullum

Published October 20, 2022 at 3:30PM

Alexandria City Hall sign (staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria’s City Hall just got an F rating in a new facility report, and long-awaited renovations are still years away.

Redevelopment of the aging site got shelved when the pandemic struck in 2020. The design phase for the $70 million project will get underway next year, as will a public engagement process to renovate the landscaping, plaza and garage structure at Market Square.