For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/17/1981
NRHP Listing Date 11/24/1982
NRHP Reference Number 82001796
Edward Stabler, a Quaker pharmacist, started a family apothecary business in 1792, one which operated continuously until it closed in 1933. In 1796 the business moved permanently to 107 South Fairfax Street, a building erected between 1774 and 1785. Among its customers were Martha Washington, Drs. James Craik and Elisha Cullen Dick, James Monroe, and Robert E. Lee. The brick building’s three-bay, three-story exterior is typical of Alexandria’s Federal architecture. Its curved-window shopfront is a conjectural reconstruction by noted architect Thomas T. Waterman. The fanciful Gothic Revival shelves inside are a mid-19th-century alteration and are a stunning and rare example of the style’s use for a shop interior. Now a museum in the Alexandria Historic District, the apothecary’s collections include, in addition to furnishings and fixtures, archival material, pharmaceutical equipment, and herbs, all kept intact by the Stabler-Leadbeater firm.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated June 11, 2020
