About Alexandria City County, VA

Alexandria's Charles Houston Recreation Center at 901 Wythe Street, is staying open as a "warming" location for local residents who are without power. Strategically located on Route 1, in the Parker-Gray neighborhood, the newly built center was opened in 2009.

Residents are encouraged to bring all necessities, such as food, water and other personal items. The center will remain open until further notice. For more information, Alexandria residents can contact the Snow Hotline at 703.746.4488.

Almost two years after after submitting application, Alexandria's Uptown/Parker-Gray Neighborhood has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The area will officially known as the Uptown/Parker-Gray Historic District.

Bordered on the north by First Street, on the south by Cameron, on the east by Columbus and on the west by Buchannon/Oronoco and parts of West Street, the area ultimately known as Parker-Gray was sparsely settled and and primarily rural throughout the Colonial, Federal and Antebellum periods.

Few structures survive from those eras but one of the most interesting would have been Alexandria's gun powder house, built in the 1790's at what is today the corner of N. Fayette and Queen Streets. Deemed a potential fire hazard it was deliberately located at a safe distance from the many wooden structures built along the Potomac River.

The largest historically black neighborhood in Alexandria, Parker-Gray was originally a haven for escaped slaves and freedman during and immediately after the Civil War.

Wartime conditions in Alexandria were grim and families crowded into flimsy shanties and shacks. Few if any of these structures have survived and most of the historic buildings present today were built later in the 19th century.

In past years, the more popular nickname for the Parker-Gray neighborhood was "Uptown" to distinguish it from the "downtown" areas closer to the Potomac River.

The official moniker comes from two schools whose names, in turn, honored leading black educators in the community: Sarah Gray, principal of Hallowell School for Girls and John Parker, principal of the Snowden School for Boys.

Alexandria built the first black high school in 1950 at 1207 Madison Street, which was named Parker-Gray. Prior to this, young African-Americans who wanted to continue their education past the eighth grade were forced to go into the District of Columbia for high school.

Parker-Gray High School was re-designated as a middle school in 1965 and was closed completely in 1979. A memorial plaque designates the school's former location among the townhouses now standing on Madison Street.

A listing in the National Register of Historic Places provides formal recognition of a property’s historical, architectural, or archeological significance based on national standards used by every state.

The nomination recognizes the historic architecture of the district and social history of the Uptown/Parker-Gray Historic District, including the African-American contribution, that has occurred in this neighborhood since its inclusion within Alexandria City boundaries in the 1790s.

The listing identifies nearly a thousand contributing historic structures within the Uptown/Parker-Gray Historic District.

There are some wonderful properties available in this area - call me at 703.927.4554 and let's find your historic home in this newly designated neighborhood.

Michael

Photographs courtesy of MarieMcC

Colecroft Station Condos and Colecroft Townhomes in Old Town Alexandria |
Sought-After Convenience

If you're in the market to buy an Old Town Alexandria VA condo that's close to metro, then I'm sure that Colecroft Station condos are on the top of your list.

Just steps away from Braddock Road metro on the blue and yellow lines, Colecroft Station condos offer one, two, and three bedroom models with eight different layouts, appealing to a wide range of buyers, but in affordable price ranges. Occupying three buildings: 610 West Street, 505 E. Braddock Road, and 545 Braddock Road, Colecroft Station condos offers twelve penthouse units with fireplaces, two-level underground garage parking, full building security, meeting hall, garden plaza, and exercise facilities

Colecroft Station condos are also walking distance to shops and restaurants, are just a few blocks away from King Street where you can hop on the King Street Trolley, which is a free ride from the King Street metro to the Potomac River waterfront, and the ever popular Del Ray.

If you're looking to keep your commute easy, while staying close to the city, then Colecroft Station condos may be the place for you to call home.

For more information on Colecroft Station condos for sale, or if you want to get your Colecroft Station condo sold quickly, contact me today! If you are a Colecroft community resident, please be sure to visit my website for your FREE Colecroft House Prices Report.

See Also: Old Town Alexandria Video Tour

All photos, text Copyright 2010 by Tamara Inzunza.

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Buying or Selling Real Estate in Del Ray or Old Town Alexandria VA? Looking for short sales in Alexandria Virginia? Contact Tamara Inzunza, Associate Broker of McEnearney Associates, Inc. Realtors to list and sell your home, or purchase a new home. I specialize in Old Town Alexandria, Del Ray, Kingstowne, and Manchester Lakes condos, townhomes, and single-family homes for sale.

Call me at 703-623-8759.

Visit my website and Search MLS Listings of Homes For Sale in Alexandria VA at www.MovingToNova.com/. If you're thinking about selling and would like to know how much your Alexandria VA home is worth, visit http://www.confidentialcma.com/ for a complimentary market analysis of your home. Not selling but curious about the homes for sale in your neighborhood, visit http://www.movingtonova.info/ for FREE Market Snapshot reports and stay informed whenever a home is listed or sold in your neighborhood.

The Market Square Shop in Old Town Alexandria is a tiny jewel box of color and imagination. A favorite among Alexandria insiders, the Market Square Shop engages the senses around that most primal of levels - the home.

Located on King Street just two blocks from the water in the historic Chequire House, the Market Square Shop is filled with beautiful fabrics, traditional home accents, wedding present perfect accessories, lamps, mirrors, and cases of Limoges, Halycon and Battersea boxes, all barely contained in a small, intimate space.

Started in 1955 by Majorie Land, and Joan Leidner Miller, the Market Square Shop was one of the businesses that sparked the redevelopment of lower King Street and Old Town some fifty years ago.

The current proprietor, Bruce Schafer, joined Mrs. Land in 1985 and took over the business in 1995 when Mrs. Land retired. Bruce is also one of my favorite reasons for visiting the shop.

Dry, self-deprecating and disarmingly funny, Bruce is a master of understatement as well as a master of design. He has, seamlessly, maintained the civilized, courteous and gracious atmosphere that was a hallmark of the store from its very inception.

Walking into the Market Square Shop is taking a slight step back in time Bolts of fabric and trim are unfurled one at a time and samples are simply loaned on a signature.

This is not a place to browse for endless hours (it's not big enough) but if you want informed answers, thoughtful suggestions, personal attention and items selected with a careful eye, then this is the place for you. Oh, don't bother looking for a Web site though, there isn't one.

Bruce described his job to me as "translating life into three dimension." Whether suggesting paint colors and fabric or designing the perfect love seat, Bruce and the magic of the Market Square Shop put into reality what you have only imagined.

The Market Square Shop in Old Town Alexandria is a very special place. I love it and I think you will too

Virginia Amos

Special thanks to my spouse for this personal look at an Old Town tradition.

Out of the mouth of babes - four to be exact - came the idea for a Del Ray Bake Sale to benefit Haiti and Doctors without Borders.  Led by Skylar (8) and Rain (6) Camerlinck and Mein (10) and Phoebe (8) LaMountain, the effort raised $1, 216.17. 

How could anyone resist this announcement?

As adults we are so aware of being good role models and this is a perfect example of how it should work. Joe LaMountain and his wife are very active in the community and Tim Camerlinck works for Greenpeace.  Helping others is obviously part of the DNA here.

Special thanks to Jackie Camerlinck who worked with Phoebe, Mein, Skylar and Rain to collect, bag and price all the goodies.  Thanks to the friends, families and citizens of Del Ray who donated and bought baked goods.

back row, left to right: Phoebe LaMountain, Skylar Camerlinck, Will Bruno, Mein LaMountain and Lila Greiner
front row center: Rain Camerlinck

Just another reason why Del Ray is a very special place to live.  Want to know more?  Call me at 703.927.4554.