Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 11/15/1983
NRHP Listing Date 03/08/1984
NRHP Reference Number 84003491
One of the state’s boldest examples of the Second Empire style, the dark brick Alexandria City Hall was designed in 1871 by Washington architect Adolph Cluss. The elongated composition is dominated by its central pavilion with a massive square dome, a scheme that recalls the Louvre in Paris. The building occupies the site of the 1817 city hall designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, which burned in 1871. Cluss incorporated into his design a clock tower based on that which had graced Latrobe’s work. The building, in the Alexandria Historic District, originally had town offices on the upper floors and market stalls in arcades below. The stalls have been removed, and the former Alexandria City Hall building now functions exclusively as city offices. The interior has undergone numerous remodelings but the Cameron Street façade remains without significant alteration. A Colonial Revival addition, filling the U-shaped courtyard, was added to the Alexandria City Hall in the early 1960s.
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: June 9, 2022
