Official Visit Alexandria Visitors Guide 2020 Official Visit Alexandria Visitors Guide(clon | Page 24

H I STO RI C H OU SES
Step inside the first president’s estate and a Frank Lloyd Wright dream home.
1. George Washington’s Mount Vernon
2. Carlyle House
3. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House
1.
The most popular
historic estate in America
is located just eight miles
south of Old Town. Glimpse
18th-century life by explor-
ing the mansion, gardens,
working farm, distillery and
gristmill, and interactive
visitor facilities with 25
theaters and galleries hon-
oring George Washington’s
life and legacy.
2.
The home of one of
Alexandria’s founders,
Scottish merchant John
Carlyle, this grand mansion
soon became a center of
social and political life. On
the National Register of
Historic Places and today
a museum open to visitors,
Carlyle House stands as
the city’s only stone 18th-
century mansion.
4. Lee-Fendall House
3. Designed in the
1940s, Wright’s “Usonian”
Pope-Leighey House was
created for a couple
with a modest budget.
The house measures just
1,200 square feet, but
Wright’s high ceilings,
large expanses of glass
and open floor plan
create the illusion that
it is much larger.
4.
On the National Reg-
ister of Historic Places and
the Virginia Landmarks
Register, the Lee-Fendall
House Museum interprets
200 years of American
history through the lives
of those who lived and
worked in the house from
1785 to 1969. Enjoy tours,
rotating exhibits, a lush
garden and special events.
DECODING HISTORIC DETAILS
Touring Old Town? Use this guide to architectural details.
Star Anchors
These end pieces of
wrought-iron bars support
the gable walls of masonry
structures.
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Fire Marks
These likely served as
advertisements for
insurance companies.
Door Knockers
Eagles, lions and even
pineapples are all historic
signifiers of wealth.
Historic Plaques
The Historic Alexandria
Foundation awards these to
homes over 100 years old.