Constructed in 1836-37, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House on South Fairfax Street in the Alexandria Historic District is the home of city’s second-oldest, and first non-Anglican, religious congregation. The well-proportioned two-story brick building was constructed on the site of an earlier church that was erected in 1775 and burned after being struck by lightning in 1835. The handsome edifice is late Federal style in design with a front-facing pedimented gable, flared brick jack arches over openings with keystones, and a five-stage brick and wood bell tower attached to the rear. Despite remodelings in the Victorian period and during the early 20th century, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House retains much of its original character. In addition to the church, the lot contains a half-gable-roofed brick manse, a form locally known as a “flounder,” built in 1787; and a cemetery with a number of original stone markers from 1772 to 1810. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution, which was dedicated in 1929, is also located within the Old Presbyterian Meeting House property.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia