As recently as the 1970s and '80s, Old Town wasn't the quaint, desirable, charming destination that it has become. Historic properties had fallen into disrepair, crime was rampant, many homes were being used as tenement rooming houses, and, according to an elderly neighbor, the intersection visible from our front door was the place in town to pick up some female companionship for an evening or an hour.
Luckily, as the urban revitalization of metro Washington, D.C. neighborhoods began, the government and citizens of Alexandria embraced the value and historic significance of Old Town. A preservation and gentrification effort began and has since revitalized both the residential and commercial aspects of Old Town, making it the place we fell in love with when we moved to the D.C. area in 2000.
In the ten years we've been residents of Alexandria, Old Town has truly come a long way. The once boarded up movie theater reopened in 2002, and the addition of the Hotel Lorien, wine bar, gourmet cheese shop and the like, have transformed the western half of King Street making it a destination from the Potomac to the Metro. Even our block has seen a dramatic improvement, thanks to hardworking neighbors who, like us, pride themselves on lovingly caring for these historic properties. Unfortunately, we've sort of let our house slip just a little bit.
Let's take a look back to the way the house looked when we bought it in 2003.
Between our home on the left, and our neighbor's on the right, "charming curb appeal" isn't the first thing that comes to mind. The paint job, which started a dreary color, had faded significantly. The door was depressing, the stairs didn't fit the house, and seemingly endless layers of paint had masked some of the only intricate and decorative architectural details the exterior of the house possessed. About the only thing the house had going for it was the significant tree that proudly shaded our relatively simply home.
In early 2005, the house next door was purchased by a couple who began a full scale renovation. It was quite refreshing to see their house's transformation, but it also lit a fire under us to start our long overdue exterior changes. Our first task at hand was to strip select areas of paint to reveal some scrollwork above the windows and door.
Continue Reading Full Post
