Athenaeum (Alexandria, Virginia)
Encyclopedia
The Athenaeum is a museum of fine arts in Alexandria
, Virginia
, United States
and home to the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association. Its building is an important example of Greek Revival architecture
. The building has a long history and has served several purposes during its lifetime. The building is now part of the Virginia Trust
and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
; it was surveyed by George Washington
. The building was constructed between 1851 and 1852 at the intersection of Lee and Prince streets to serve as the office of the Bank of the Old Dominion, where it is reported that Robert E. Lee
had an account. The bank was at the head of the Captains' Row, a block of 18th-century buildings that still face the cobblestone street.
The Bank of the Old Dominion operated at the site until the Civil War
, when Alexandria was occupied by the Union forces and the building became the abode of the U.S. Commissary Quartermaster. The Bank of the Old Dominion closed its doors in 1862, but the building again hosted a bank, this time the First Virginia Bank, in the years from 1870 to 1907. In 1907 the building started to be used by the pharmaceutical wholesalers Leadbeater and Sons, one of the oldest Alexandria firms. In 1925 the property passed to the Free Methodist Church
of North America, which used it until 1964, when the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA) purchased the building. The NVFAA still owns the property, which is used for several purposes, mainly for fine arts exhibitions, but it is also home to the Washington School of Ballet.
The Athenaeum is part of the Virginia Trust
and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The building, also known as the Old Dominion Bank Building, is one of the few privately owned buildings in Alexandria open to the public and thus depends largely on community donations for its survival.
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and home to the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association. Its building is an important example of Greek Revival architecture
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
. The building has a long history and has served several purposes during its lifetime. The building is now part of the Virginia Trust
Land Trust of Virginia
The Land Trust of Virginia was originally formed in 1991 as the first state-wide land trust in the Commonwealth of Virginia. LTV uses a legal tool called a conservation easement to help landowners voluntarily protect scenic, historic or environmentally sensitive lands while keeping the land in...
and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980.
History
The land on which the edifice hosting the museum was built belonged to William FairfaxWilliam Fairfax
William Fairfax was a political appointee of the English Crown and a politician: he was Collector of Customs in Barbados, and Chief Justice and governor of the Bahamas; he served as Customs agent in Marblehead, Massachusetts before being reassigned to the Virginia colony. There he was elected to...
; it was surveyed by George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. The building was constructed between 1851 and 1852 at the intersection of Lee and Prince streets to serve as the office of the Bank of the Old Dominion, where it is reported that Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
had an account. The bank was at the head of the Captains' Row, a block of 18th-century buildings that still face the cobblestone street.
The Bank of the Old Dominion operated at the site until the Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, when Alexandria was occupied by the Union forces and the building became the abode of the U.S. Commissary Quartermaster. The Bank of the Old Dominion closed its doors in 1862, but the building again hosted a bank, this time the First Virginia Bank, in the years from 1870 to 1907. In 1907 the building started to be used by the pharmaceutical wholesalers Leadbeater and Sons, one of the oldest Alexandria firms. In 1925 the property passed to the Free Methodist Church
Free Methodist Church
The Free Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination within the holiness movement. It is evangelical in nature and has its roots in the Arminian-Wesleyan tradition....
of North America, which used it until 1964, when the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA) purchased the building. The NVFAA still owns the property, which is used for several purposes, mainly for fine arts exhibitions, but it is also home to the Washington School of Ballet.
The Athenaeum is part of the Virginia Trust
Land Trust of Virginia
The Land Trust of Virginia was originally formed in 1991 as the first state-wide land trust in the Commonwealth of Virginia. LTV uses a legal tool called a conservation easement to help landowners voluntarily protect scenic, historic or environmentally sensitive lands while keeping the land in...
and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The building, also known as the Old Dominion Bank Building, is one of the few privately owned buildings in Alexandria open to the public and thus depends largely on community donations for its survival.
External links
- Athenaeum, Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association - official site