Davis Chapel, also known as the Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church, is listed under the multiple property documentation form for African American Historic Resources of Alexandria. The two-story, brick, vernacular Gothic Revival-style structure, with a standing-seam painted metal roof, was constructed in 1834 on South Washington Street in the African American neighborhood called “the Bottoms.” It is the largest structure and the only church on the block of one of the Alexandria Historic District’s most prominent streets. Distinctive features include an ornate façade of decorative brick and stained-glass windows, flanked at either end with small brick towers topped with slate-roofed pinnacles and decorative metal finials. The Davis Chapel building was extensively remodeled in 1894 with the addition of a new façade, entrance, narthex, and stained-glass windows. The church is the site of one of the oldest existing schools in the city, and it still is an important African American social gathering place.
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
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DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
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