Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/17/1979
NRHP Listing Date 06/22/1979
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 79003277
This extensive frame town house in the Alexandria Historic District was erected in 1785 as the residence of Philip Richard Fendall, on property purchased from Henry (“Light-Horse Harry”) Lee, Fendall’s stepson-in-law. Fendall was a director of the Potomac Company and a founder of the Bank of Alexandria. He was married three times; all three of his wives were members of the Lee family. The Lee-Fendall House is the earliest of several neighboring Alexandria dwellings associated with the Lee family. It was remodeled in the Greek Revival style between 1850 and 1852, following its purchase by Louis A. Cazenove. Labor leader John L. Lewis, long the influential head of the United Mine Workers union, made his home here from 1937 until his death in 1969. Administered by the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Lee-Fendall House property is now a museum that interprets the history of everyone who lived and worked at the property from 1785 through 1969.
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
Updated: March 17, 2023
