Alexandria Living Magazine - March/April 2022 by Alexandria Living Magazine

2022 WEDDING SHOWCASE

ALEXANDRIA COLD CASES

GEORGE & MARTHA'S ROMANCE

MARCH | APRIL 2022

Historic Garden Week in Virginia

A Master

ALEXANDRIALIVINGMAGAZINE.COM March / April 2022

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SOVIET SPY on King Street

THE FACE OF

Old Town Real Estate Babs Beckwith, McEnearney Associate

No one knows Old Town Alexandria better than Babs Beckwith, whose name is synonymous with Old Town Real Estate. With more than 25 years of success selling homes in this very special community where she lives and is actively involved, Babs has the insider’s knowledge and understanding of today’s market for selling and buying Old Town real estate. Call Babs today for a confidential conversation about your property. Babs Beckwith, Realtor® Tel. 703.627.5421 I Babs@BabsBeckwith.com I www.OldTownAlexandriaLiving.com Old Town Alexandria 109 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 I tel. 703.549.9292 I Equal Housing Opportunity

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PHOTO BY TOM MCGOVERN FOR PEPE'S PIZZERIA

CONTENTS

PHOTO BY JESSICA OVERCASH

Make plans now for all of the amazing springtime happenings taking place in Alexandria!

PETS

DINING

HISTORY

HOME & GARDEN

DESTINATION WEDDINGS

THE LAST WORD

24 PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SANDERLING RESORT

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

It's official! Alexandria has once again been recognized for being a special place for pets.

Alexandria's most-anticipated restaurant openings in 2022!

Have a big celebration coming up? Local restaurateurs give their picks of where to go, plus we have lots of tips for making sure your big day goes smoothly.

The romance of Alexandria's "first couple," George and Martha Washington.

Not sure what to do with that awkward space in your living room, your basement or the kitchen? Local experts zero in on making those spaces useful and appealing.

Planning a wedding celebration and looking for ideas for a getaway for the bridal party and guests? We've got a few suggestions within driving distance of Alexandria.

We catch up with style expert Monte Durham, who is our special guest April 10 at the Alexandria Wedding Showcase.

46 March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

FEATURES

The Spy on King Street

Alexandria was once home to a master Soviet spy: "Igor Orlov." Writer Steve Trimble walks us through the fascinating tale of this seemingly everyday art gallery owner on King Street.

Decades-long unsolved murders or "cold cases" can be frustrating. We take a look at some of those mysteries as well as a 50-year old case that was recently solved.

30 PHOTO BY ALEXANDRIA LIVING MAGAZINE

36 ON THE COVER Cover photo of a garden at Eyre Hall in Northampton, Va., on the 2021 Historic Garden Week tour. Purchase your tickets now for Historic Garden Week in Alexandria, set for Saturday, April 23.

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PHOTO BY DIANE GINSBERG COURTESY OF THE GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

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Babs Beckwith cell 703.627.5421 I Babs@BabsBeckwith.com I OldTownAlexandriaLiving.com 109 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 I off. 703.549.9292 Equal Housing Opportunity

A Letter from Our Founders

PUBLISHER

Beth Lawton EDITOR

Mary Ann Barton ADVERTISING

Cleo Chitester Kristen Riffle Lora Jerakis DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Dawn Lewandowski PUBLISHING ASSISTANT

Susannah Moore Alexandria Living Magazine is published six times per year by Alexandria Living, LLC ©2022. 201 N. Union St., Suite 110 Alexandria, VA 22314. For newsstand or distribution locations or to subscribe for home delivery, go to alexandrialivingmagazine.com/subscribe.

info@alexandrialivingmagazine.com or call 571-232-1310.

PARTNER WITH US

Alexandria Living Magazine fully supports the local business community and offers several unique ways to partner with the publication. • Sponsored articles and multimedia content on the website, in our popular email newsletters and on social media. • Highlighted events in our events calendar, email newsletters and social media. • Sponsored real estate listings. • Brand awareness through online banner ads designed to boost your business. • Contests, sweepstakes and giveaways.

To learn more about how partnering with Alexandria Living Magazine can help build your business, contact us at ads@alexandrialivingmagazine.com or call 571-232-1310.

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HOW TO SUBSCRIBE

Subscribing to Alexandria Living Magazine is easy! You can go to alexandrialivingmagazine.com/ subscribe to pay securely online by credit card, or mail a check with the subscription mailing address to Alexandria Living Magazine, 201 N. Union St. Suite 110, Alexandria, VA 22314. Subscriptions are $14.95 for one year or $24.95 for two years.

Beth Lawton, publisher, and Mary Ann Barton, editor

PHOTO BY MATT MENDELSOHN, TAKEN AT VIRTUE FEED & GRAIN.

Spring is in the air and that means all sorts of exciting activities are ahead such as the Old Town Alexandria Historic Garden Tour, ALX Dog Walk, Spring Garden Market at River Farm, the Alexandria Wedding Showcase, the Parkway Classic and lots more. In this issue, we are excited to bring you another intriguing slice of Alexandria history courtesy of writer Steve Trimble. This time, he delves into a fascinating story about a King Street art and frame-shop owner who was actually a master Soviet spy, beginning on Page 30. And speaking of long-lost mysteries, we look into some Alexandria and Fairfax County cold cases from decades ago that have never been solved and one 50-year old case that was, starting on Page 36. In our home and garden department, local designers have advice on how to handle those awkward nooks and crannies to make them useful, starting on Page 42. Looking for the perfect venue for that proposal, engagement party or other celebration? We've got plenty of suggestions and tips,

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

including from local restaurateurs, beginning on Page 24. With love in the air, we take a look at the courtship of Alexandria's most popular couple, George and Martha Washington, starting on Page 27. While we know Alexandria is the perfect spot to say "I do," in case you have your sights set on a destination wedding, we look into some spots that are driveable from Alexandria, starting on Page 46. And we wrap up this issue by catching up with style expert Monte Durham in The Last Word, on Page 52. Durham, owner of Salon MONTE, will be our special guest at a VIP brunch at the Alexandria Wedding Showcase. Enjoy the season and see you right back here in May!

Mary Ann Barton and Beth Lawton Founders

Our Team Meet some of the contributors to this issue.

DAWN LEWANDOWSKI Contributor

SUSANNAH MOORE Contributor

Dawn designed this issue of Alexandria Living. Dawn lives north of Minneapolis, and stays connected to the Northern Virginia area through her employer, headquartered just south of Alexandria. Dawn loves to explore historical towns when she's not designing custom fonts or producing layouts for print. She enjoys live entertainment, boutique shopping, and culturally diverse cuisine similar to what lines the cobblestone streets in Alexandria. In her spare time, Dawn loves creating gourmet meals and traveling. She looks forward to exploring the area firsthand.

Susannah has happily called Alexandria home since 2015. She graduated from the College of Charleston and has worked in the political and legal fields and is excited for the opportunity to rekindle her interest in writing. For fun, she enjoys running along the Potomac with her husband or spending time with her rescue cat, Cinnamon, and golden retriever, Kai.

STEVE TRIMBLE Contributor

DIANE GINSBERG Photographer

Steve Trimble is an Alexandria resident, amateur local history enthusiast and award-winning journalist for Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine. In addition to previous stints as the Washington D.C. bureau chief for Flight International and Jane’s Defence Weekly magazines, his work has also appeared in The Guardian, USA Today and Encyclopedia Britannica. He’s also appeared as an expert on shows about aviation and military topics for the History Channel and other news and media outlets.

Based on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Diane specializes in macro botanical images taken on her travels and local wildlife, such as herons and egrets. Cards and canvas enlargements of her work are sold throughout the Northern Virginia area. Diane took this issue's cover photo, featuring a garden from Eyre Hall in Cheriton, Va. on the Lower Eastern Shore. A sampling of her available images can also be seen at dwgbotanicals.com.

BUZ NACHLAS Contributor Buz enjoys photography whether he's capturing the Red Rocks of the American Southwest or snapping an image of an iconic monument at sunset in the nation's capital. He often visits Alexandria and most recently snapped the Williamsburg Inn. When he's not taking photos, you might find him on a bike trail near his home in Toano, Va.

SCISSORS

Scissors the guinea pig was adopted in February from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria by Alexandria Living Magazine Publisher Beth Lawton and her family. Scissors enjoys spinach and hay, and the family is enjoying getting to know him. Scissors (his pre-adoption name) joins Pepper (an adopted pit bull), Mandy (the cat, who also came from the AWLA) and a couple of snails in the family's growing residential zoo in Seminary Valley. March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

The annual Alexandria Wedding Showcase, presented by Alexandria Living Magazine, takes place Sunday, April 10 at The Alexandrian Hotel. PHOTO BY SARAH MARCELLA CREATIVE FOR VISIT ALEXANDRIA

SPRING 2022

Calendar of Events March "Blue Stockings" Feb. 26-March 19 | various times What does it take to accomplish social change? This drama, which premiered in 2013 at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, follows the story of four women fighting for an education, set against the backdrop of the women’s suffrage movement. The story is set in 1896 at Cambridge University, the first college

in Britain to admit women, but things still aren’t equal. The men graduate with degrees and prospects, but the women leave with nothing but the stigma of being a “blue stocking,” a derogatory term for an educated woman. Follow the men and women of Cambridge University as they shatter prevailing traditions. Conflicts abound as generations, social classes and genders clash. Masks, proof of vaccination or a negative test for COVID-19 are required.

Sounds of Home & Harmony Ongoing Keep an eye out for outdoor concerts presented by Classical Movements in the Secret Garden at the historic Rectory on Princess Street. Performances vary from chamber music, opera, jazz, early music, bluegrass, flamenco and more. The Rectory on Princess Street, 711 Princess St., classicalmovements.com/secretgardenconcerts

The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., thelittletheatre.com

Due to ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, some of the events listed here may move online, be postponed or be canceled. Keep an eye on alexandrialivingmagazine.com for an updated events calendar or check in with event organizers before heading out!

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

Russell Road ∙ Wilton Road ∙ Muir’s Court ∙ Pendleton Street ∙ Parenham Way ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Cottingham Place ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Grove Drive ∙ East Oxford Avenue ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Buena Vista Avenue ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Bernard Street ∙ Royal Thomas Way ∙ Arkendale Road ∙ West Braddock Road ∙ Dartmouth Road ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ North West Street ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Hopewell Avenue ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Woodmont Road ∙ Kalmia Square ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Warrington Place ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Prince Street ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Potomac Avenue ∙ King Street ∙ Aspen Street ∙ South Pitt Street ∙ Woodmont Road ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Woodmont Road ∙ Birch Lane ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Woodmont Road ∙ North Saint Asaph Street ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Golf Course Square ∙ Ludgate Drive ∙ Biscayne Drive ∙ Glendale Terrace ∙ Midday Lane ∙ Huntington Avenue ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Clarendon Boulevard ∙ Riverview Terrace ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ South Pitt Street ∙ Westmoreland Road ∙ Golf Course Square ∙ West Boulevard Drive ∙ Woodmont Road ∙ Southdown Road ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Wakefield Court ∙ Middleford Drive ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Water Street ∙ North Overlook Drive ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Archlaw Drive ∙ Windsor Road ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ Shenandoah Road ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Olde Towne Court ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Danton Lane ∙ Circle Hill Road ∙ Shenandoah Road ∙ Fort Hunt Road ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Hearthstone Mews ∙ Fort Hunt Road ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Randall Court ∙ Norton Road ∙ Woodmont Road ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ Edgehill Drive ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Gambrill Woods Way ∙ Randall Court ∙ Olde Towne Court ∙ Belle View Boulevard ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ East Glendale Avenue ∙ Crest Street ∙ Skyhill Road ∙ Foxcroft Road ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Old Towne Court ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Stanford Circle ∙ Fort Hunt Road ∙ Golf Course Square ∙ Riverton Lane ∙ Belle View Boulevard ∙ Kristina Ursula Court ∙ Olde Towne Road ∙ Wilkinson Place ∙ Tudor Place ∙ Tally Ho Lane ∙ Foresthill Road ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Highland Meadows Court ∙ Plymouth Road ∙ Duke Street ∙ Saint Stephens Road ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Embry Spring Lane ∙ Schelhorn Road ∙ Mason Hill Drive ∙ Mason Hill Drive ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ North Washington Street ∙ North 4th Street ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Southdown Road ∙ Foresthill Road ∙ Foresthill Road ∙ Belle Rive Terrace ∙ Wood Haven Road ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Tally Ho Lane ∙ Peacock Avenue ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ South Utah Street ∙ South Quebec Street ∙ Water Street ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Gatewood Drive ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Mount Vernon Circle ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Potomac Avenue ∙ Duke Street ∙ Buena Vista Avenue ∙ Fort Hunt Road ∙ Sharon Chapel Road ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Grove Drive ∙ North Royal Street ∙ Huntington Avenue ∙ North Fenwick Street ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ Dartmouth Road ∙ Hickory Glen Way ∙ Arkendale Road ∙ West Braddock Road ∙ Burgundy Road ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Arkendale Road ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Hopewell Avenue ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Herbert Street ∙ Farrington Avenue ∙ Mount Eagle Drive ∙ Wythe Street ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Olde Towne Court ∙ North 16th Street ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Potomac Avenue ∙ King Street ∙ Aspen Street ∙ North Pollard Street ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Golf Course Square ∙ Edgehill Drive ∙ Woodmont Road ∙ Fleetwood Drive ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Chalfonte Drive ∙ Biscayne Drive ∙ Glendale Terrace ∙ Plymouth Road ∙ Joust Lane ∙ Mayflower Drive ∙ Clarendon Boulevard ∙ Duke Street ∙ Aristotle Drive ∙ Fairfax Road ∙ West Boulevard Drive ∙ Baltray Circle ∙ South Fairfax Street ∙ Buchanan Street ∙ Middleford Drive ∙ Southdown Road ∙ Shenandoah Road ∙ Herbert Spring Road ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Chapel Street ∙ Queen Street ∙ Rucker Place ∙ North Pitt Street ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Shenandoah Road ∙ Redwood Lane ∙ Edgehill Drive ∙ Randall Court ∙ Duke Street ∙ South Royal Street ∙ Norton Road ∙ Native Violet Drive ∙ Windsor Road ∙ North West Street ∙ Olde Towne Court ∙ Radcliff Road ∙ Hill Vale Place ∙ Belle View Boulevard ∙ Embry Spring Lane ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Gentle Lane ∙ First Street ∙ Radcliff Road ∙ Sun Up Way ∙ South Fayette Street ∙ Foresthill Road ∙ North Taylor Street ∙ Valleywood Road ∙ Pickering Place ∙ Ivanhoe Lane ∙ South Saint Asaph Street ∙ Crystal Drive ∙ Trinity Drive ∙ Julia Avenue ∙ Spring Hill Farm S Pitt St., Alexandria, VA∙ Vernon 22314 | 703.549.9292 Road ∙ Rose 109 Petal Circle ∙ Russell Road ∙ Grove Drive Terrace ∙ Peacock Avenue ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ South Fairfax Street ∙ South Fairfax Street ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Foxcroft McEnearney.com | Equal Housing Opportunity Road ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Jackson Place ∙ Berkeley Road ∙ Burtonwood Court ∙ Vernon Terrace ∙ Peacock Avenue ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ South Fairfax Street ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Jackson Place ∙ South Fairfax Street ∙ Berkeley Road ∙ Burtonwood Court ∙ Belfield Road ∙ Foxcroft Road ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Vernon Terrace ∙ Edgehill Drive ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Sun Up Way ∙ North Saint Asaph Street ∙ Kings Cloister Circle ∙ Sapphire Court ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Keiths Lane ∙ Skyhill Road ∙ Fords Landing Way ∙ Union Street ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Landover Street ∙ South Pitt Street ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Fort Hunt Road ∙ Vernon Terrace ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Woodmont Road ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Crystal Drive ∙ Edgewood Drive ∙ Hunting Cove ∙ Mount Vernon Circle ∙ Fort Hunt Road, Southdown Road ∙ Native Violet Drive ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Sandbrook Road ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ 31st Street North ∙ Mount Eagle Drive ∙ Summit Terrace ∙ Wellington Road ∙ Burtonwood Drive ∙ Windsor Road ∙ South Fairfax Street start at 6 p.m. at the museum every Friday. ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Kent Road ∙ Mount Eagle Drive ∙ Summit Terrace ∙ Randall Court ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Windsor Road ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Registration is $5, space is limited. Chapel Street ∙ Duffield Lane ∙ Foxcroft Road ∙ Fort Hunt Road ∙ Vernon Terrace ∙ Summit Terrace ∙ Shenandoah Road ∙ S. Fairfax Street ∙ Belle Haven Road ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ N. Valley March 4: "Civil War Nurses of Alexandria" 2-31 Street ∙ Duffield March Lane ∙ Grove Drive ∙ N. Taylor Street ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Grove Drive ∙ Burgundy Road ∙ Edgewood Terrace ∙ Cameron Street ∙ Edgehill Drive ∙ Fort Hunt Road ∙ Vernon Terrace

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59th Annual Needlework Show and Sale

Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House, 9000 Richmond Hwy., woodlawnpopeleighey.org

Civil War lectures at Lee-Fendall House March, 4, 11, 18, and 25 | 6 p.m. The Lee-Fendall House Museum is hosting a series of lectures in March which will explore different aspects of the Civil War and its impact on Alexandria. These talks

Del Ray Artisans Gallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave., delrayartisans.org

March 11: "Julia Wilbur and Harriet Jacobs: Aid Workers and Allies in Civil War Alexandria”

March 18: "The American Civil War's Impact on Modern Medicine"

PHOTO BY MARY ANN BARTON

Woodlawn Estate was the first family home of Eleanor “Nelly” Custis, granddaughter of George and Martha Washington, and one of America’s most skilled early needlework makers. This annual Needlework Show and Sale honors her legacy. The 59th Annual Woodlawn Needlework Show’s theme, “Common Threads,” focuses on the threads in life that connect us as a community and the commonalities that exist among all people, as demonstrated through the pursuit of craft. Tickets are $15 for adults and $6 for students K-12. Children under 5 are admitted free. Show hours are 10 a.m.4 p.m. daily except Tuesdays.

visiting the gallery. The gallery is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible.

March 25: "The Fight for Freedom at L'Ouverture Hospital" Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco St., leefendallhouse.org

Flora & Fauna Art Exhibit March 4-26

Tea with Martha Washington

The Flora & Fauna art exhibit at Del Ray Artisans gallery explores the interdependence of plants and animals, combining art and environmental science. In recent years, climate change and pollution have endangered the complex interactions between plants and animals. Visit the Del Ray Artisans website for information on workshops and events related to the exhibit. The gallery capacity is limited to 15 people at any one time. Face masks must be worn properly by all while

March 5 | 1 p.m. Join Martha Washington for tea and refreshments as she shares memories of her life with George Washington. Enjoy some of the Washington’s favorite treats and delicacies prepared by the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. Following the program, guests are invited to take a selfguided tour of the estate. Tickets are $45 per person. George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy., mountvernon.org

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Michael and Kevin Bacon; COURTESY OF THE BIRCHMERE

Concerts at The Birchmere Check out some of the performances scheduled for March and April at The Birchmere. The Birchmere’s website has the latest information and a full concert list. The concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary. MARCH 3

The Stylistics MARCH 10

The Oak Ridge Boys MARCH 25, 26

The High Kings MARCH 31

Joan Osborne APRIL 1

The Manhattans

Virtue and Vice: The Women of Lee-Fendall

clothing. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are $15 per person.

March 5 | 2 p.m.

Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco St., leefendallhouse.org

Meet some of the women who lived in the Lee-Fendall House over the years. Learn about their struggles and achievements as women, wives, educators, workers, mothers, performers and activists. Face masks are required inside the museum. The tour is limited to 10 participants. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are $10 per person. Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco St., leefendallhouse.org

Outlandish Tour at the Apothecary Museum March 6, 13 | 11 a.m. Celebrate the March premiere of Season 6 of Diana Gabaldon's beloved "Outlander" series with an Outlandish Tour of the Apothecary Museum. Tour this historic apothecary and learn about a few of the herbal medicines featured in Diana Gabaldon’s "Outlander" series of novels from Cascara to Dauco seeds. The tour also touches on the role of apothecaries and women in medicine in the 18th century. Recommended for ages 18 and up. Tickets are $15. Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S. Fairfax St., shop.alexandriava.gov/Events.aspx

APRIL 8, 9

Average White Band

Wine and Welding

APRIL 10

March 11, April 8 | 7-10 p.m.

Cowboy Junkies APRIL 11, 12

The Bacon Brothers APRIL 13

Gordon Lightfoot APRIL 14

Sergio Mendes

Looking for a unique date night? Learn how to weld and build a wine rack with your partner at The Garden by Building Momentum. The price of the class is $250 per couple and includes safety gear and materials. Masks must be worn inside at all times, regardless of vaccination status. The Garden, 5380 Eisenhower Ave., Suite C, thegarden.net

APRIL 18

The Zombies APRIL 20

Beyond the Battlefield: A Civil War Walking Tour

Three Dog Night

March 12, 26 | 9 a.m.

APRIL 21

This walking tour shares the stories of soldiers, citizens and self-liberated African Americans in Civil War Alexandria. It covers the military occupation, the conversion of public and private buildings into hospitals and emancipation. The tour is limited to 10 participants and lasts approximately 90 minutes. Walking tours take place rain or shine, so wear appropriate shoes and

Leonid & Friends APRIL 22

Shawn Colvin The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., birchmere.com

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

National Symphony Orchestra at Mount Vernon March 15 | 7-9 p.m. April 5 | 7-9 p.m. Learn about the history of Mount Vernon before enjoying an intimate chamber music performance by members of the National Symphony Orchestra. All concerts will begin at 7 p.m. and are followed at 8 p.m. by a reception of champagne and chocolates with the musicians. Tickets are $65 per concert. George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy., mountvernon.org

Discovering Alexandria Architecture Walking Tour March 19, April 16 | 10-11:30 a.m. Alexandria has grown from a small town in the 18th century to a bustling small city in the 21st century. Join Carlyle House staff for a tour of Alexandria and explore various architecture styles that adorn the city streets. Reservations are required as space is limited. Wear comfortable shoes for this 1.5-hour guided tour. Tour is held rain or shine unless there is severe weather. Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St., novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park

This Tide of Wounded: Lee-Fendall as Civil War hospital March 19 Visit the Lee-Fendall House for a day of living history demonstrations and discover the experiences of staff and patients at LeeFendall when it was a Union hospital during the Civil War. Entry is on the half hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and advance registration is required. Face masks must be worn indoors. Admission is $10 for adults (age 18+) and $5 for students (age 5-17). Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco St., leefendallhouse.org

Brandenburg, Vivaldi & Tango March 19 | 7:30 p.m. Members of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director James Ross, present an evening of music by Bach, Vivaldi and Piazzola in the intimate setting

CALENDAR OF EVENTS STARTING

Second Life Art Exhibit

MARCH

April 1-30

This art exhibit brings into focus the thought-change concepts of recycling from the accepted art to be exhibited (art utilizing recycled materials) to the workshops and talks provided. The gallery capacity is limited to 15 people at any one time. Face masks must be worn by all while visiting the gallery. The gallery is free, open to the public, and accessible. Del Ray Artisans Gallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave., delrayartisans.org

Pinwheels and Poetry April 2 | 1-4 p.m. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Join staff at Carlyle House Historic Park for poetry, hands-on activities and learn about resources in the area to support and create safe and happy settings for children in the area. This event is free. Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St., novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park

National Cherry Blossom Festival.

of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Tickets are $45 for adults, $15 for students and $5 for youth under 18.

Carlyle House At 45: Hidden House Reemerges

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt St., alexsym. org/performances

With the destruction of the Mansion House Hotel in the 1970s and an extensive restoration by NOVA Parks, Carlyle House reemerged into Alexandria’s line of sight as one of the grandest buildings in Old Town. Carlyle House staff invite you to explore their exhibit “Hidden House Reemerges” for the throwback admission of $1. During your self-guided experience, learn about some of the early museum history, see photographs of the restoration, and admire some of the objects found by the restoration team.

National Cherry Blossom Festival March 20 - April 17 | various times The weather determines the peak bloom for the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin in the District and here in Alexandria, but the National Cherry Blossom Festival lasts for three weeks in the spring and celebrates the beauty of cherry blossom trees and the arrival of spring. Key events include the Pink Tie Party fundraiser, the Opening Ceremony, the Blossom Kite Festival, Petalpalooza and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade presented by Events DC. Alexandria's Potomac Riverboat Company offers cherry blossom monument tours, transportation to D.C.’s events and more. Also explore options from the National Mall Water Taxi and the Wharf Water Taxi. In addition, “Cherry Picks” — dishes made with cherries — will be on the menu at many of Alexandria’s restaurants. DC and Alexandria, nationalcherryblossomfestival. org and visitalexandriava.com

March 20 | noon-4 p.m.

Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St., novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park

Conceptio Gloriosae: Baroque Music in Latin America April 2 | 7 p.m. Music of the colonial Mexican and Bolivian baroque are brought to life with brilliant native inflections of language, harmony and rhythm. Works by Juan Gutierrez de Padilla, Francisco Lopez Capillas, Antonio de Salazar, Juan de Araujo, Gaspar Fernandes and others. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 288 S. Pitt St., bachconsort.org

Homeschool Day: Architecture April 8 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Join Carlyle House Historic Park staff for a tour focusing on the experiences of the enslaved community at Carlyle House and John Carlyle's plantations. The guided tour will explore the historical context of slavery in 18th century Alexandria and the importance of ongoing research efforts to connect with descendants. Reservations are required as space is limited.

The Lee-Fendall House Museum welcomes homeschoolers for Homeschool Day on Friday, April 8! Our theme this spring, in honor of Architecture Month, will focus on 18th and 19th-century American architecture through special tours and activities. Tours of the house will be offered every hour starting at 10 a.m. with the last tour starting at 2 p.m., advance registration is required. Face masks must be worn indoors by everyone over the age of 5. Adults (18-plus) are $3, students (3-17) are $5 and children under 3 are admitted free.

Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St., novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park

Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco St., leefendallhouse.org

Tell Me Your Name March 25, April 21 | 5-6:15 p.m.

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

com for all the details and ticket information!

APRIL

The Alexandrian Hotel, 480 King St., alexandriaweddingshowcase.com

Stories in the Architecture April 10 | 2 p.m. Explore the history of the Lee-Fendall House through its architecture and visit parts of the house that are not regularly open to the public. See how changes in style and home technology have left their mark on the home, from when it was built in 1785 through the 20th century. Face masks are required inside the museum. The tour is limited to 10 participants. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are $10 per person.

ALX Dog Walk. PHOTO COURTESY OF ??

Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco St., leefendallhouse.org

Spring Break Camp at Carlyle: Archeology and Architecture April 11-15 | 9:30-11:30 a.m.

ALX Dog Walk April 2 | 7 a.m.

Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St., novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE-FENDALL HOUSE

Participate in the inaugural ALX Dog Walk to raise money to beautify the City of Alexandria, protect its environment and educate citizens about best sustainability practices. Dogs of all shapes and sizes and their humans can participate in this 2-mile walk which will begin and end at Oronoco Bay Park along Alexandria’s waterfront. Check-in begins at 7 a.m., the walk kicks off at 8 a.m. and at 9 a.m. there will be an award ceremony, a raffle drawing and plenty of fun and treats! Special guests include Mayor Justin Wilson, NBC Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Chuck Bell and "Say Yes to the Dress-Atlanta" stylist Monte Durham. This is a plastic-free/recycled plastic event so bring your own reusable water bottles. Registration closes April 1. More details on the event website.

Discover your inner archaeologist and architect! Join Carlyle House staff for a week-long camp to learn about archaeology and architecture, do some digging, solve some puzzles, draw, and discover building styles. Each day spend two hours learning different techniques and enjoying some hands-on fun. Cost is $50 per child for the week or $12 a child per day.

Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison St., alxdogwalk.com

The Grandest Congress: The French and Indian War in Alexandria April 9 | noon-4 p.m. Spring 1755: Major Gen. Edward Braddock, Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty’s Forces in North America, landed in Alexandria on March 26 to assume command of all North American military forces. He stayed at the grandest dwelling in town, Carlyle House. While staying at Carlyle House, Braddock convened a meeting of five colonial governors. Among Braddock’s objectives was to secure funding for his upcoming campaign against the French. Carlyle called this gathering “the Grandest Congress … ever known on the Continent.” Visitors to the Carlyle House will experience Braddock’s visit and the

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

French and Indian War firsthand through costumed interpreters. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St., novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park

Alexandria Wedding Showcase April 10 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Planning a wedding? You won't want to miss this event presented by Alexandria Living Magazine at The Alexandrian Hotel, featuring a VIP breakfast with wedding expert Monte Durham and 25 top wedding vendors — from photographers to florists — from the area. Ticket-holders will also be entered into drawings for top prizes from vendors. Visit alexandriaweddingshowcase.

Easter Egg Hunt April 16, 17 Find Easter eggs hidden in the Lee-Fendall garden during our popular annual egg hunt! Sessions are offered on Saturday, April 16 every hour beginning at 10 a.m. with the last session at 3 p.m. and on Sunday, April 17, sessions begin at noon and with the last session at 3 p.m. Attendance is limited and reservations must be made in advance. Tickets are $15 per participating children ages 2-12. Accompanying adults are $5 and infants under 2 are free. Face masks are recommended. Bring your own basket. Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco St., leefendallhouse.org

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The tour provides a unique opportunity to go behind the doors of Old Town’s most stunning and unique properties. The celebrated event draws more than 1,500 home and garden enthusiasts annually during the height of the spring blooming season. The tour features five private homes and gardens and six nearby historic public properties Carlyle House, Lee-Fendall House, River Farm, Gunston Hall, Mount Vernon and Green Spring Gardens. Complimentary refreshments will be available at Old Presbyterian Meeting House.

Advance tickets are $55 online at vagardenweek.org and may be purchased tour day at the Alexandria Visitor’s Center at 221 King St. vagardenweek.org

Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace Beginning April 23 | Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6 p.m., Saturdays at 8:45 a.m., 10 a.m. Join a yoga instructor for an hour-long Vinyasa flow yoga on Carlyle House’s Magnolia Terrace. A gentle flow yoga class that uses breathing to flow from

and established himself as a prominent Alexandrian through building and operating Green’s Mansion House Hotel. Join Carlyle House staff on a tour to learn about James Green and his family’s life in Alexandria. Tickets are $20. Reservations are required as space is limited. Wear comfortable shoes for this 1.5-hour guided tour. Tour is held rain or shine unless there is severe weather.

COURTESY OF CARLYLE HOUSE

Old Town Alexandria Historic Home & Garden Tour

one pose to the other, build heat with sun salutations then progress to balance, deep stretching and relaxing meditation. Bring water, a towel and yoga mat. Wear comfortable yoga wear. Class may be cancelled due to inclement weather — call the site to check class status. Class is $10 per class or $40 for a five-class pass.

Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St., novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park

Barber & Brahms – Resilience April 23 | 7:30 p.m. April 24 | 3 p.m. Violinist Dylana Jenson sparks joy with her rendition of Barber’s Violin Concerto. Alexandria Symphony Orchestra presents Brahms’ First Symphony and Brian Prechtl’s Tribute featuring students from Sympatico, commissioned by Classical Movements’ Eric Helms New Music Program.

Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax St., novaparks.com/parks/carlyle-house-historic-park

Legacy of the Green Cabinet Walking Tour April 23 | 10 a.m. In the early 19th century, William Green started the Green Furniture factory in Alexandria and by 1823 his son, James, took over. James expanded his father’s factory

Saturday’s concert: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, 4915 E. Campus Dr. Sunday’s concert: George Washington Masonic Memorial, 101 Callahan Dr. alexsym.org

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

APR

ALX Dog Walk. PHOTO COURTESY OF ??

PHOTO COURTESY OF PACERS

April 24 | 7:30-10:30 a.m. Run 5k or 10 miles along the Potomac River and through Old Town Alexandria during one of the country’s most scenic running events. The 5k begins and ends at Oronoco Bay Park and the 10-miler starts at George Washington’s Mount Vernon and finishes at Oronoco Bay Park. A virtual option is also available. Kids ages 12 and younger can run the 600-meter Kid’s Dash beginning at 10:30 a.m. Spaces for the Kid’s Dash are limited and should be purchased early. parkwayclassic.com

appearance of the garden has changed over time and see recent efforts to restore the garden and create an educational space and urban wildlife habitat. Tickets must be reserved in advance and are $10 per person. Lee-Fendall House Museum, 614 Oronoco St., leefendallhouse.org

MV Big Flea April 30 | TBA

Mt. Vernon Rec Center, 2701 Mt. Vernon Ave., mvbigflea.wordpress.com

April 29 | 2 p.m. Discover the history of the Lee-Fendall garden from its 18th century beginnings to the present. Learn how the use and

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

April 30-May 1 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mount Vernon's serene 12-acre field transforms into a battleground as Continentals, Redcoats and Hessians conduct military drills, perform cavalry demonstrations, and engage in 18th-

century tactics. Meet the soldiers who are encamped at Mount Vernon, discuss military techniques, and greet General Washington. Revolutionary War Weekend takes place rain or shine. Cost included with price of admission, free for members. George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy., mountvernon.org PHOTO BY MARY KLOTE

COURTESY OF LEE-FENDALL HOUSE

Del Ray’s largest flea market of the year is scheduled for April 30. All proceeds benefit the Mount Vernon Community School PTA and are used for field trips, enrichment activities, special events, computers, musical instruments and art and classroom supplies. Check the Big Flea website for information about donations for this event and more information.

Revolutionary War Weekend Historic Garden Tour

PHOTO BY BUDDY SECOR

The Parkway Classic

You are cordially invited to attend

The Alexandria Wedding Showcase 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 10, 2022 The Alexandrian, 480 King St. VIP brunch with Say Yes to the Dress star Monte Durham precedes the main event. RSVP at alexandriaweddingshowcase.com March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

Spring Garden Market at River Farm

PHOTO COURTESY OF RIVER FARM

Caught spring fever? The best prescription is spending part of your weekend at the Spring Garden Market on the grounds of River Farm, home to the American Horticultural Society.

This event attracts more than 40 vendors and will take place Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The market will offer a wide variety of plants, including vegetable seedlings, natives and pollinator favorites. Also be on the lookout for art, tools, books, and other horticultural accessories. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions. “This is a great opportunity to support local growers and shop for some terrific plants you won’t find other places,” said Keith Tomlinson, director of AHS. Spring Garden Market not only includes an array of nature-themed artists and garden products vendors, it's also an important fundraiser to help sustain and support the stewardship of River Farm.

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

The 25-acre estate was put on the market in 2020, initially as part of a proposed merger with another national association. Board and community opposition stopped the sale the property has been reopened to the public. All proceeds raised during this event will help maintain and enhance the display gardens for the enjoyment and enrichment of the community. Guests will have access to a limited selection of carts and wagons for toting purchases, but guests are encouraged to bring their own. Parking is $20 per car and is waived for AHS members showing a current membership card or other proof of membership such as an online receipt. Non-members can apply the fee toward a new membership during the event. To join, visit www. ahsgardening.org/join. For more information, call 703-768-5700.

SPONSORED

Discover Artful Living in the Heart of Old Town North’s New Cultural Hub, Coming This Spring to the Alexandria Waterfront Alexandria’s Old Town North neighborhood is undergoing rapid transformation as it becomes a cultural hub for recreation and the arts and home to stunning residences. Nestled along the Potomac River, this vibrant community is set to become the city’s first official Arts District, designed to encourage enlightened engagement for both artists and residents. The most exciting addition to the neighborhood is Muse—a stunning boutique condominium community that offers residents premium access to the Alexandria waterfront and Old Town North’s growing restaurant and retail scene. With construction well on its way, the 73 luxury residences are scheduled to arrive in Spring 2022, with prices starting in the $800,000’s. Located in the heart of Old Town North, at the intersection of North Royal Street and Bashford Lane, Muse will incorporate a mix of mediums that blend beautifully for an inspired lifestyle, including sophisticated building design, elegant amenities, and luxurious residences.

“Muse is set to deliver a level of luxury not yet achieved in Old Town North. The neighborhood is evolving and increasing in desirability. The floor plan design is exceptional and high end contemporary finishes with wellregarded luxury brand names take the homes to another level.” –K ami Kraft, The Mayhood Company The residences at Muse offer 29 unique layouts to choose from, ranging from 1-bedroom to 2-bedroom and den floor plans, plus a limited selection of luxurious lofts. Interiors span from 920 square feet to over 2,000 square feet of modern style living space with distinctive finishes and luxurious features. At Muse, no single interior detail is spared, and every aspect is considerably designed for the ultimate living experience. All homes feature Waterworks fixtures, 7.5 inch engineered wood flooring, quartz countertops and large-format Calacatta porcelain tile. Kitchens boast Snaidero Italian cabinetry, and under-cabinet lighting, concealed Bosch and Thermador appliances and islands with waterfall edges. Select floor plans include stand up

showers with spa benches, Kohler tubs, and decorative accent tiles. Residents will enjoy stunning views of the Potomac River and Old Town North through soaring floor-to-ceiling windows and from your expansive balcony—designed to accommodate patio furniture. For an even better view, head up to the penthouse lounge that features an outdoor terrace offering the best views in the area. The top floor of Muse will also include an indoor-outdoor fitness center, complete with a dedicated space for yoga and personal training sessions. The building amenities don’t stop there. Arrive in style at the Muse lobby, complete with a 24-hour concierge and building porter to address your every need. Take time to relax within the lounge, replete with a marble fireplace and elegant seating areas. Additional resident amenities include a fully equipped pet spa, package room private storage, resident parking and more. With the Mt. Vernon Trail just steps away, residents have immediate access to several parks and trails along the Potomac waterfront to partake in recreational activities like running, biking or relaxing by the shore to watch the sailboats drift across the water. Muse will be comprised of two distinct buildings with glass, brick and panel facades, connected by an enclosed bridge that sits above an outdoor “Arts Walk”, which will feature open space seating, a sculpture garden, and space for art on display. The building’s first floor will be

home to The Art League and house art studios and galleries, providing space and equipment for a medley of artisans and craftspeople, both professional and aspiring. These spaces will host private classes, art exhibits and special events open to the neighborhood.

“Muse will be the main home for Art League and serve as a bookend to the arts district along with Metrostage. Our resident is creative and cultured so therefore appreciate having this lovely compliment to the community.” – Kami Kraft, The Mayhood Company With an appreciation for refined living and proximity to nature, retail, and culture – Muse has all the makings of a modern masterpiece. Don’t miss the unique opportunity to own a piece of Old Town North and be among the first to call the Alexandria Arts Distcit home. Interested homebuyers can schedule a private appointment at the Muse sales gallery, where they can explore the different floor plans on a touchscreen display, choose their unit on the 3D building model, view an array of interior finishes, and get a sneak peek of the amazing waterfront views that Muse will offer. To learn more and schedule your visit, please visit www.museoldtown.com.

Muse is being developed by Carr Companies and was designed by Bethesda-based SK&I Architecture group. Interior design is by Akseizer Design Group of Alexandria

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

Highlighting what Alexandria pet owners already know, Mars Petcare has certified the City of Alexandria as a

“Better City for Pets”

Only a few dozen cities in the United States receive the designation and Alexandria is the only Virginia community to receive it.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHELLEY CASTLE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR VISIT ALEXANDRIA

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

people and their pets together, knowing the unprecedented challenges facing families throughout the pandemic,” said Jam Stewart, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Mars Petcare North America, in a release. “Our new research shows that the financial and health stressors affecting many people may force some pet parents to make the difficult decision to surrender their pets. As part of our global ambition to end pet homelessness, it’s our goal to keep as many people together with their pets as possible, which this year’s grant recipients are actively helping to address this."

Barkhaus

PHOTO BY BARKHAUS

"The certification takes into account a variety of factors in its assessment, including clean and hygienic park spaces that allow animals, the number of veterinary and other pet care providers, pet-friendly housing, businesses that allow pets and the presence of a safe and welcoming animal shelter that supports pet and their owners," Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) officials explained.

The AWLA already offers a variety of programs to help keep beloved pets in their homes, such as the AWLA’s Community Pet Pantry, which in 2021 provided more than 50,000 pounds of pet food and supplies to pet owners and animal rescues across the region. Community Wellness Events and Vaccine Clinics offer free or low-cost vaccinations and microchips for pets, as well as working with other community groups to provide human support services like shelf-stable groceries and even vaccinations against COVID-19. Additional services offered include the AWLA Pet Behavior Hotline, grooming assistance and Crisis Care, for pet owners undergoing emergencies. The Mars Petcare grant will give the AWLA the opportunity to work with the community

to expand the housing available to pets and the people who love them. Alexandria has an estimated 80,000 pets and boasts a wide variety of unique and pet-friendly amenities. The city has 18 dog parks and exercise areas, both fenced and unfenced. Alexandria has also installed pet waste stations throughout the city to ensure that no matter how owners exercise with their dogs, they can easily pick up after their pets. In addition, Alexandria has a wide variety of pet-friendly things to do, including several new businesses that cater to pets. New this year, Old Town Alexandria’s waterfront will host the inaugural ALX Dog Walk event on Apr. 2. The newlyopen Happy Cat Hotel and Spa and coming-soon indoor dog park and bar Snouts & Stouts join many local businesses including dog-friendly restaurant, bar and dog park Barkhaus; Mount Purrnon Cat Café + Wine Bar; and specialty dog-and-cat boutique The Dog Park. Many Alexandria restaurants, including Cameron Café, Hops N Shine, Lost Dog Café, Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza + Tap, Sonoma Cellar and Vola’s Dockside Grill have patios where pooches are welcome and feature special dog menus.

“Alexandria is a community dedicated to its animals, and this certification demonstrates what we already knew: That we are a city where pets and their people are welcome as visitors or residents,” said Stella Hanly, Executive Director of the AWLA. Along with this certification, the AWLA was also awarded a Vision Award grant by Mars Petcare to fund activities through 2023 to study and expand the availability of pet-friendly housing across the city. “This year, the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS grant program focused on keeping PHOTO COURTESY OF SHELLEY CASTLE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR VISIT ALEXANDRIA

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

FOOD & DINING

ALEXANDRIA'S

Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings IN 2022

Carbs and caffeine are on the menu at many restaurants coming to Alexandria this year. BY BETH LAWTON

Along with warmer weather, there is much to look forward to in Alexandria’s dining scene — a number of exciting new restaurants plan openings this spring and beyond, according to Visit Alexandria.

For caffeine lovers, a few new options are on the horizon: Lady Camellia’s Tea Room has left Georgetown and will be opening next to Salon Monte and Hotel Indigo along the Old Town Alexandria waterfront in the coming months. The tea room features tea, of course, but also serves up macarons, scones, sandwiches and pastries. Later this year, Mudhouse Coffee Roasters, which originated in Charlottesville, has plans to open in Old Town. COURTESY OF MUDHOUSE COFFEE ROASTERS

20 20

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

PHOTO BY DIANA DELUCIA FOR FRANK PEPE’S PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA

Breakfast fans also have much to look forward to this year. Matt & Tony’s in Del Ray plans to open in March with allday brunch and a variety of other dishes. In addition, The BeeLiner Diner will be opening soon at Bradlee Shopping Center.

Speaking of hot, Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana will

Plus, Bob & Edith’s will be opening near the King Street Metro, right across the street from a second location for the Chewish Deli. Call Your Mother — another bagelry and deli — will be opening in Old Town, too.

rooftop dining options, including at Hank’s Oyster Bar as

On King Street, just west of Route 1, the Fresh Baguette, a French bakery, will be opening in 2022. And just a few blocks east of the Fresh Baguette, look for Foxtrot, a gourmet grocery and cafe, to open soon. Over in Alexandria's West End, the Electric Café is in development from the team behind The People’s Drug, Chop Shop Taco and Alexandria Lighting. It will be a combination design gallery and café on South Pickett Street. The West End will also be opening the first Alexandria location of Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken sometime this year. (Rumors are that a Kingstowne location is also in the works.)

be opening on Duke Street in the Alexandria Commons shopping center. Back in Old Town, the spring season will bring more it moves to Old Town North from its longtime King Street location. The Village Brauhaus on King Street also plans to open a rooftop patio. Old Town will also welcome back the Potomac Paddle Club to its waterfront with a bigger boat to accommodate parties of 10 to 20 people for pedal-boating (while eating or drinking on board).

Be sure you’re signed up for Alexandria Living Magazine’s email newsletters to keep up on all the openings! You can sign up at alexandrialivingmagazine.com/subscribe.

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

TENTS, STRUCTURES & FLOORING - RENTALS, LINENS & FURNISHINGS

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alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

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March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

Celebrate! Where to go and what to consider before you book that celebratory dinner

BY BETH LAWTON

Whether it’s a promotion at work, a birthday, anniversary or a wedding engagement, Alexandria restaurants offer plenty of great options worthy of a celebratory dinner. But how do you choose? Local event planners say where you go has a lot to do with the vibe you’re seeking. Are you looking forward to a large gathering with music and merriment or are you looking for an intimate dinner with just one or two people? Are you budgeting for a huge bash or just a bottle of bubbly with a great dinner? Here are the four most important things to consider when you’re

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

2 1 looking for a place to celebrate this spring.

Location and ease of access

You don’t want to start your celebration off on the wrong foot by being late to dinner because you couldn’t find parking. And sometimes in Old Town, that’s a hassle. If you’re driving, check out local parking options or find out if valet parking is available. An Uber or public transportation may be your best bet.

In addition, consider what your other plans are for your celebration. If you’re considering a pre-dinner drink or dessert after dinner, factor in the time it will take you to get from one place to the other, whether you’ll need to move your car, or how long the walk is. Weather may also play a role.

Lena's

Party size and needs If it’s just you and a loved one celebrating, your needs are likely pretty simple. Bigger parties will come with added complexity. In either case, make sure you’re aware of food sensitivities or allergies among those you’re celebrating with, and make sure your venue is accessible if one of your guests is in a wheelchair or on crutches. If your gathering includes children, make sure you’re choosing a kidfriendly restaurant or a place that has entertainment for them. A nearby park where a babysitter can let the kids run around before or after the meal might come in useful. (Or, make sure your tablet is fully charged and bring headphones if you need the

child to chill out with YouTube Kids for

the menu. Often, restaurants have

a bit.)

special menus for large gatherings

Factor in temperature and noise, too

If anyone in your party is elderly or hearing impaired, visit your venue to

that may be less expensive than having everyone order a la carte. Or, consider a special menu for the event, including pre-selected drinks, to keep the budget under control.

make sure they’ll be comfortable there.

From an etiquette standpoint, be

Check out online reviews for any issues

upfront with your guests when you

that come up repeatedly, like “too noisy.”

issue invitations if you’re planning to ask them to pay for themselves. That’s not a discussion to have after you’re

Plus, while coronavirus is still hanging

seated. (And be nice to the restaurant,

around, you’ll want to ensure

too, for large parties: Splitting a bill

the venue is safe from a health

between 20 people may not be

perspective. That may mean dining

possible, so discuss payment methods

outside, requiring proof of vaccination

with the restaurant’s manager ahead

or whatever makes you and your

of time.)

guests most comfortable.

Your own wants. If this celebration

Budget

is for you, be sure that you aren’t so

Don’t give yourself stress-induced acid

you’re miserable. Hate sushi? Don’t

reflux when the bill arrives. If you’re

cave into other people’s suggestions to

having a large gathering, contact the

try that hot new sushi restaurant. It’s

restaurant beforehand to talk about

your party, after all.

busy making everyone else happy that

WE ASKED A FEW LOCAL CHEFS AND BARTENDERS THIS QUESTION:

You have something big and happy to celebrate — but you can't go to your own restaurant. Where do you go? Mason Bermudez, bar director, Hummingbird: “If I were to dine at another restaurant other than Hummingbird, I would go to two places. First, Brüt for my glasses of celebratory champagne followed by dinner at Landini Brothers — a longtime favorite in Old Town Alexandria.”

Larry Walston, Jr., partner, Common Plate Hospitality: “Joe's Seafood in D.C. for the prime steak and stone crab. Start off with a gin martini and six of the largest stone crabs they have available that day.“

Eileen Vaughn, director of operations, Mason Social and Augie's Beer Garden: “If I am celebrating, I will for sure head over to Oak where all of the food is exceptional and for sure get the A5 Wagyu — I mean, we are celebrating!”

From Steven Carvajal, server, Mason Social and Augie's Beer Garden: “If I had something big to celebrate I would definitely go to Barcelona on 14th Street in D.C. It has a great atmosphere and environment, and you have to try the Chicken Pimiento — juicy chicken served with a creamy sauce that has a kick, served with roasted potatoes.”

If you’re up for a celebratory road trip, Bryant Haren, executive chef at BARCA Pier & Wine Bar, recommended heading to New England: “If I were to eat at any restaurant to celebrate a special occasion of mine it would have to be at Waypoint in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This restaurant is run by Chef Michael Scelfo and the flavors that come across each dish are individually interesting.”

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

THE AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S

Spring Garden Market

ANNUAL PLANT SALE & GARDEN PRODUCTS MARKETPLACE APRIL 8 & 9 at RIVER FARM 7931 East Boulevard Drive Alexandria, Virginia •Fri., April 8: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. •Sat., April 9: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. •Parking $20 per car; free for AHS members

www.ahsgardening.org

Shop Small. Shop Local. More often, we’re looking for hand-crafted, thoughtful items that come with the bonus of supporting Alexandria's small businesses. Made in ALX has one goal: to make it easy for people to find and buy locally-made goods.

Learn more at madeinalx.com. @madeinalxva madeinalx

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

ALEXANDRIA’S FIRST COUPLE:

George and Martha J

BY MARY ANN BARTON

COURTESY GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MOUNT VERNON ESTATE

With spring in the air (and the Alexandria Wedding Showcase set for April 10) we wanted to fête one of Alexandria’s most well-known couples — George

throat infection. Martha was left to

Martha managed the Custis estate and

raise their two young children — baby

her late husband’s business operations,

Patsy (Martha Parke Custis, born the

often dealing with the London

previous year) and 3-year old Jacky (John

mercantile community. In addition to

Parke Custis).

negotiating tobacco sales, she ordered personal items from London, including

and Martha Washington.

The young family lived in New Kent

fashionable garments such as kid gloves,

County (located east of Richmond and

silk stockings, jewelry, footwear and

America’s first couple first met after

north of Williamsburg) at their home

bonnets.

Martha Dandridge Custis became a

called the White House on the banks of

widow at an early age. She was just 26

the Pamunkey River, where more than

Historians note that Martha was a

when she lost her first husband, Daniel

100 slaves worked on their farms and in

wealthy widow, overseeing the 17,500-

Parke Custis, on July 8, 1757 from a

the home.

acre plantation that was owned by her

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

first husband. “[George] Washington was not nearly at the same social or economic level as she was,” historians from George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate note. “However, she was still attracted to the man who held the highest position of the Virginia provincial troops and was known for his pivotal role fighting the French in the western territories.”

Washington wore a blue suit with a white satin waistcoat. At home at Mount Vernon, George and “Patsy,” as he called her (a common nickname for Martha, at the time), slept on a feather bed built around 1740, the earliest known piece of furniture at Mount Vernon. The Washingtons used the bed until 1797, when a new, custom-made horsehair mahogany bed, 6’ 6” long, arrived from Philadelphia to accommodate George’s 6’2” frame. Martha was about 5 feet tall.

George wasn’t the only man who came to court Martha. Virginia planter Charles Carter, who became a widower twice and had 10 children, was also interested in the New Kent County widow. No one is quite sure when their paths first crossed, but George noted in his financial records, on March 16, 1758, that he visited Martha at her home during a business trip to the House of Burgesses in nearby Williamsburg. (Other stories say he was visiting a doctor in Richmond when he decided to go visit Martha.) As part of his records, George noted the tips he left for the slaves who worked at the plantation. Some say the two may have first met earlier in Williamsburg, where they ran in the same social circles. After at least one more visit to her home in March, the two reportedly agreed to an engagement.

'I retain an unalterable affection for you, which neither time nor distance can change.' - LETTER FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON TO MARTHA WASHINGTON, JUNE 23, 1775

Together for 40 years, George, 67, passed away Dec. 14, 1799 from a throat infection a little less than a month shy of their 41st wedding anniversary. Martha closed up their bedroom after his death and moved to a room on the third floor. She often wore a mourning locket, carrying a lock of George’s hair inside. Martha passed away on May 22, 1802 at age 70. Before she died, she burned all of the letters from her husband to protect their privacy but two letters from George were found later in her desk by a granddaughter. In one of the letters, George noted his love for his wife, after 18 years together: “I retain an unalterable affection for you, which neither time nor distance can change.”

The couple married at Martha’s home in New Kent County, according to Mount Vernon’s historians, although some accounts mention St. Peter’s Church in New Kent County. George was 26 and Martha was 27 when they wed in January 1759. Pearls adorned Martha’s brown hair, and she wore deep purple silk and silver sequined shoes (size 7). Family members recorded later that she wore a yellow silk damask gown with a cream silk petticoat with interwoven silk threads.

Martha Washington's wedding shoes. COURTESY GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MOUNT VERNON ESTATE

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

LOCAL

HISTORY

A MASTER SOVIET SPY ON KING STREET:

The Case Of

Igor Orlov BY STEVE TRIMBLE

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

LOCAL

HISTORY

ho was the quiet and mysterious owner of the former Gallery Orlov, the art and picture-framing shop located at 1307 King St. until it closed less than 15 years ago?

To casual shoppers of the Old Town art and framing store in the 1960s and 1970s, the owner was named “Igor Orlov,” and the dapper and fit proprietor of small stature answered queries in Russian-accented English. To the CIA, the man Alexandria shoppers knew as Orlov initially was known as “Franz Koishwitz,” a Russian-born operative who they inherited from the Nazi intelligence service, and who ran a ring of prostitutes in Berlin in the early 1950s to induce local KGB spies and Red Army officers to defect. But to the Soviet Union’s intelligence elite, Orlov was not a traitor, but a hero. They called him “Sasha,” the common Russian nickname for Aleksandr. Indeed, Orlov’s actual name was Aleksandr Ivanovich Navratilova, who joined Josef Stalin’s infamous NKVD spy service in 1941. As Orlov, he continued serving as a secret agent for the KGB (the NKVD’s bureaucratic descendant) for more than four decades, eventually using the earnings from his Soviet spymasters to buy the Alexandria picture-framing business. By the time Orlov arrived in Alexandria in the early 1960s, he was already one of the most successful double-agents in KGB history. Over a tumultuous career, Orlov’s work added fuel to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler paranoia about the loyalty of an army of ex-Soviet, anti-communist partisans during World War II; sabotaged uncounted operations by the CIA against the U.S.S.R. in East Germany and the Balkans in the early 1950s and finally

The building, as it looks today, at 1307 King St. in Old Town Alexandria. PHOTO BY ALEXANDRIA LIVING MAGAZINE

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

LOCAL

— operated a network of communist agents from his King Street shop until his death in 1982. In the spying world, some agents placed in foreign countries have official cover as diplomats in embassies, giving them legal status and immunity from prosecution. But less-fortunate agents reside in a foreign country on non-official cover, meaning they are essentially on their own if they are caught. Agents belonging to the latter category are called “illegals,” and few, if any, achieved the sustained success as the owner of Gallery Orlov on King Street. “He was the most valuable agent [the KGB] had here. Messages [between Orlov and other illegal Soviet spies] were sent back and forth in the art and framing materials,” Joseph J. Trento, president of the Public Education Center and author of “The Secret History of the CIA,” tells Alexandria Living. As the KGB spy who eluded CIA suspicions and multiple FBI investigations, Orlov emerged as a key

HISTORY

figure in Trento’s 2005 book of America’s “flawed and often destructive” foreign spying agency. Orlov’s German wife, Eleanor, noticed her husband’s odd behavior with customers in his King Street gallery. “Igor never left the shop and was suspicious of everyone who came into the shop,” Eleanor says in Trento’s book. Orlov was right to be suspicious. Besides legitimate customers and Soviet illegals, a later review of copies of business receipts showed that Gallery Orlov also provided art and framing services to the employees of the agency charged with rooting out spies. “Ironically, he had many FBI customers,” Trento tells Alexandria Living. How this Soviet master spy came to operate from an Old Town art store at the height of the Cold War is a story full of intrigue, deception and death. The first person to experience Orlov’s penchant for betrayal was not a foreign intelligence service, but his own father. Ivan Navratilov, a Soviet intelligence officer, had privately confided treasonous thoughts to his son during Stalin’s murderous purges in the late 1930s. It was not long before an NKVD team knocked on the Navratilov family’s door at midnight to take Ivan, father of Aleksandr, away, Trento writes in his book. Aleksandr’s mother demanded to know who had denounced her husband. “Comrade Aleksandr Navratilov provided evidence,” the NKVD officer replied, referring to Orlov, according to Trento’s book.

Joseph Stalin, famous Soviet leader, 75th birth anniversary, circa 1954

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

In the occasionally twisted logic of Soviet spy craft, the NKVD saw the betrayal of a father as a sign that a son could be trusted, and Aleksandr became an officer in the elite intelligence service in 1941. Quickly recognized as an athletic, handsome and intelligent agent, the young Navratilov soon came to the attention of Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin’s

Parachutist during the war

much-feared head of the NKVD, who needed a spy with a unique combination of skills to take on an urgent and risky assignment. Beria’s plan was as simple as it was audacious: parachute Navratilov behind German lines, surrender to Nazi troops as a pretend “defector” from the NKVD, and then sabotage the Abwehr — Hitler’s intelligence service — from the inside. If that plan reads like the implausible plot of a bad spy novel, Beria was only too aware of its weaknesses. Several of his hand-picked NKVD agents had already died attempting to carry out similar Abwehr infiltration schemes, according to Trento’s book. With the Battle of Stalingrad still raging in the autumn of 1942, Beria decided to raise the stakes. To help make the defection story seem plausible, Beria gave to Navratilov the

LOCAL

HISTORY

Memorial of the Battle of Stalingrad — The Motherland Calls Statue, Memorial Complex, Volgograd, Russia

names of real NKVD agents — albeit mostly minor or inactive ones — operating inside the German military’s ranks. This time, the penetration scheme worked. Thus, Navratilov was renamed by the NKVD as “Igor Orlov,” the fictional son of a deceased Soviet general. As the fortunes of the Nazis turned following the defeat at Stalingrad, they started searching for moles to blame for failed military operations, and Orlov arrived almost on cue to oblige with a verifiable list of traitors. With the Wehrmacht reeling across Europe by 1944, however, Stalin and

KGB and US IDs

Beria turned to a new threat. By then, tens of thousands of Soviet citizens had rallied to the banner of ex-Red Army General Andrey Vlasov, who had formed an army behind German lines of anticommunist troops allied with the Nazis to fight against Stalin. Since Orlov had already won the trust of the Abwehr, Beria played the same trick on the Nazis a second time. By feeding Orlov the names of unproductive NKVD agents inside Vlasov’s army, Orlov helped to fuel Hitler’s paranoia that this band of former Red Army officers leading an allied army was riddled with Soviet agents and could not be trusted.

minders thought was an alias for Igor Orlov. In fact, it was an assumed name for an assumed name. But he was known casually to all three intelligence agencies by his nickname, “Sasha.”

Two years after World War II ended, the U.S. government created the CIA. The goal was no longer to penetrate Hitler’s Reich and the Abwehr, but Stalin’s Communist Party and the NKVD. The CIA opened its doors in 1947 with no history of operations behind the newly formed Iron Curtain. In the name of expediency, the CIA turned for help against the Soviets to the post-war remnants of the Abwehr, which still included a supposedly ex-NKVD defector named Orlov.

The CIA gave Orlov yet another assumed name: Koishwitz. The Nazi double-agent now became a CIA triple-agent, working for Americans while surreptitiously sending some of their most precious secrets to the Soviets. In some cases, Orlov acted brazenly. When the CIA brought in another disaffected Soviet spy — Vladimir Kivi, an Estonian — to be Orlov’s partner, Orlov saw an immediate threat. Shortly after Kivi’s arrival in the CIA’s Berlin station, the Estonian spy simply disappeared. Even after Kivi later turned up in a Soviet gulag, Orlov somehow escaped scrutiny, a fact Murphy, as the station chief, later regretted.

In the aftermath of the war, Orlov had reacquainted himself with his Soviet intelligence controllers. By this time, he was operating as Aleksandr Koptazky, which his German and CIA

“Pressures on the [CIA Berlin station] to produce were intensifying, and it was felt that Orlov could make a difference. Over time, this decision would affect the lives of several [CIA] officers in ways that no one could have foreseen,” says the 1997 book, "Battleground Berlin" which was co-authored by the former CIA station chief, David Murphy and writer George Bailey.

“Considering how difficult it would have been for Orlov to operate as a doubleagent with an honest partner, these

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

LOCAL

HISTORY

new protectors. But Golitsyn confirmed the CIA’s worst fears: a highly placed mole named “Sasha” had penetrated the CIA’s station, delivering valuable intelligence over several years to the KGB’s Moscow Center.

KGB medal

revelations should have alarmed the [CIA],” Murphy writes. In place of suspicions of betrayal, Orlov’s supervisors at the Berlin CIA station grew disappointed by his performance. Despite approving and financing the operation over several years, Orlov’s ruse to blackmail KGB agents in Berlin with CIA-supplied prostitutes failed to deliver results. Agency officials still moved slowly to sever ties with their Russian contractor. It wasn’t until 1960 that the CIA moved Orlov, his wife and two sons to Washington D.C. The family settled into a row house on O Street NW, but a promised job for Orlov at the newly founded Defense Intelligence Agency was rescinded.

In retrospect, Orlov should have been the CIA’s prime suspect. After all, Sasha was his nickname, he had worked for the CIA’s Berlin station and he was an acknowledged former operative of the NKVD. Strangely, however, the CIA’s counterintelligence branch focused on other suspects first, errantly ruining several careers in the process. Meanwhile, Orlov moved on with his career, possibly using his secret KGB earnings to buy an art and picture-framing shop on S. Pitt Street in Alexandria, according to Robert Wallace and H. Keith Melton, the authors of "Spy Sights of Washington, D.C." The renamed Gallery Orlov then quickly moved to 1307 King St. By 1964, Golitsyn’s disclosures finally intersected in the minds of FBI investigators with the details of Orlov’s background. Orlov’s past in the NKVD, the coincidental disappearance of Kivi and his fruitless labors on behalf of the CIA seemed to point in only one direction. But these facts still lacked proof, and so began an intense investigation in 1964. Oddly, however, the FBI and CIA probes trailed off after

Now without a job, citizenship or a passport, Orlov and his family were essentially marooned in the United States until the CIA could figure out what to do with them. It was the worst possible moment for Orlov’s past to be exposed. And then in 1961 came the defection of a strategic planner in the KGB named Anatoly Golitsyn. Maybe the KGB was up to its old tricks, establishing credibility for a new double-agent by outing an inactive spy. Or perhaps Golitsyn really was a Soviet traitor, sincerely offering what he knew to his German Marks

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

a few years. An obsessive CIA hunt for moles had taken its toll, paralyzing foreign operations and damaging the spy agency’s credibility with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. “We would get requests to open new [counter-intelligence] cases, and the would automatically be refused by Hoover,” said then-FBI counterintelligence chief William Branigan, according to Trento’s book. The truth eventually came out, via a disgruntled Soviet defector. Vasili Mitrokhin, a KGB archivist disillusioned by Soviet communism, escaped to London in 1992, carrying a vast collection of his hand-written notes on the KGB’s most sensitive documents. The publication of the “Mitrokhin Archive” in 1999 confirmed Orlov’s status as a KGB colonel, who collected 40,000 West German marks and 2,117 East German marks during the 1950s for his services to the Soviet Union. Nearly 20 years after Igor’s death, his surviving wife noticed a new wave of clients entering Gallery Orlov on King Street. “Eleanor Orlov has been interviewed so often about her late husband,” author Pamela Kessler wrote in the 2005 book, "Undercover Washington," “that her gallery is something of a hang-out for espionage writers.”

BY BETH LAWTON

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

From left to right: Donna Sue Oglesby, Yvonne Dowdy and Marion Kelly. All three were killed in the early 1970s in the City of Alexandria and police believe the cases may be related. Photos courtesy of the Alexandria Police Department.

About a year ago, in April 2020, Fairfax County detectives solved a case that dated back nearly 50 years. Karen Spencer, 12 years old and a student at Hayfield Secondary School, was last seen alive on Nov. 29, 1972. A group of young boys discovered her body in the woods near Fifer’s Field, which is near what is now the Huntington Metro Station, just days after she was last seen. She died from blunt force trauma to her upper body.

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

Over the years, detectives identified multiple “persons of interest” in the case, including James “Jimmy” Edwards, who was 16 at the time of the murder and was reportedly Karen’s boyfriend. He passed away in 1997. A few years before Edwards died, Edwards confided in two acquaintances and said he killed a girl and buried her in a field when he was a teenager. It wasn’t until 2018 that those two acquaintances told police. Over the next 18 months, detectives received additional tips supporting that information. Combined with previous findings that implicated Edwards, the Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney in late 2019 determined that sufficient evidence would have existed to support arresting and prosecuting Edwards.

Never Giving Up Karen’s murder was one of nearly 100 unsolved homicide cases in Fairfax County and was one of the Fairfax County Police Department’s oldest cold cases. Fairfax County’s Cold Case Squad was founded in 1995 under the Major Crimes Bureau of the Fairfax County Police Department. The Squad is responsible for investigating unresolved homicides and sex crimes in Fairfax County. The Alexandria City Police Department Criminal Investigations Section also has a team of detectives who work to solve cold cases. “The most frustrating thing about a cold case is usually not being able to give a family closure or justice,” said Marcel Bassett, Public Information Officer for

the Alexandria Police Department. “APD will continue to do everything in our power to solve every case that comes into our Department. We are here to protect and serve and will continue to do so and use any tools available for us to do so,” Bassett said.

Increasingly, doing “everything in their power” includes using newer technologies — cameras, location tracking, DNA evidence, social media and genealogy. Had these types of technologies been available back in the 1960s and 1970s, would the oldest cases have been solved? Maybe — but maybe not. “There is a plethora of variables on why some cases are unsolved, technology is only one aspect so we wouldn’t even hypothesize,” Bassett said. “It is a plus for detectives and investigators to have more video, photos, and DNA-related technology to assist in evidence gathering than ever before. Seeing fewer cases unsolved each year has always been a goal,” Bassett said. The Alexandria Police Department has solved every one of its homicides in the past five years. While technology can help solve cases, he praised having good detectives who knew how to use the technology properly, “and their due diligence to continue to train on the latest

investigative techniques and tools, follow through on leads and investigate cases,” Bassett said. “We are sure that the technological advances today could have helped out some cases but, again, it does not replace a good investigator.”

DNA: Useful But Not Foolproof Although deoxyribonucleic acid (commonly known as DNA) evidence was not the key to solving Spencer’s murder in Fairfax County, it has become an invaluable tool as local detectives continue to investigate cases dating back decades in the Alexandria area – and across the country. Advances in the technology are providing hope to local families who are still awaiting answers and closure about the death of their loved ones. “DNA technologies continue to improve and our ability to get DNA profiles is greater than ever today,” said Professor Kelly Knight, Associate Professor and STEM Accelerator in the Forensic Science Program at George Mason University in Fairfax. DNA can come from blood at crime scenes, as well as bodily fluids, hair, teeth, bone and body tissue. It can be found virtually anywhere — from food and drink surfaces like glasses and plates to actual food, bite marks on skin and evidence left behind on doors, walls, floors, keyboards, steering wheels and other surfaces. But there are limits to the answers that DNA can provide, Knight cautioned. “Because our technologies are so sensitive and robust, we can get DNA profiles from extremely small sample quantities but with those improved capabilities come limitations such as more complex, mixed DNA profiles,” Knight said. A mixed DNA profile means there is DNA from more than one individual present. “Other limitations to consider include the availability of a DNA

sample to test due to low levels being present (or not being present at all) and/ or the quality of the sample due to things such as environmental exposure.” While using DNA to solve crimes dates back to the 1980s, advances in technology in more recent years have made the process of using DNA faster, easier and less expensive. The technology is even making those “mixed DNA” cases easier to solve with advances such as probabilistic genotyping, which, Knight explained, “uses sophisticated software with advanced mathematical algorithms to make sense of complex DNA mixtures in ways that we couldn't do previously. This allows DNA analysts to make conclusions in cases that could have previously gone cold.” Another critical advancement: “genetic genealogy” — mapping family trees from DNA connections. The field of genetic genealogy developed in the early 2000s when private services started offering genetic testing to the masses and an increasing number of people started becoming interested in — and able to research online — their ancestry. Web services like GEDmatch, a site where genetic testing service customers can upload their profiles, have played roles in solving crimes. Genetic genealogy was used to solve the mystery of the so-called Golden State Killer in 2018. “Using this tool, we can get investigative leads from DNA samples in cold cases that previously had no match to reference samples in the case or to database samples by combining DNA testing with genealogical research. This is done by uploading DNA samples to public genealogy databases and constructing a family tree to narrow down the possible identities of the unknown DNA evidence sample,” Knight said. “This has resulted in many cold cases being solved over the last few years. Genetic genealogy is a gamechanger and I think we will continue to see the power of this technology as more labs bring it in-house.”

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

COLD CASES

Oldest Cold Cases The list of cold cases from the Alexandria and Fairfax County police departments includes dozens of cases. These are the 10 oldest cases. DNA evidence is not available to help solve these since the technology was not yet available, but residents can still help by coming forward with any relevant information. If you have any information about these cases (or other cases you can read about at alexandrialivingmagazine.com), please contact the Alexandria Police Department Criminal Investigations Section at 703-746-6819 or the Fairfax County Police Department Cold Case Squad at 703-246-7511.

U. T. Marshall Date: August 7, 1965 Location: Richmond Highway at Fort Hunt Road

U.T. Marshall was found deceased buried under clothing in the dump where he was employed. He suffered from blunt force trauma.

Donna Sue Oglesby

Date: February 3, 1970 Location: 2700 block of Duke Street

Donna Sue Oglesby, 18, was found deceased, stabbed and sexually assaulted inside an apartment. She worked for the FBI. This case may be connected to the cases of Yvonne Dowdy and Marion Kelly, according to Alexandria Police Department officials. See a video from the Alexandria Police Department about this case at shorturl.at/ghprE.

Yvonne Dowdy

Date: August 16, 1970 Location: 1200 block of N. Pitt Street

Yvonne Dowdy, 20, was found deceased in her apartment. Ms. Dowdy died from a stabbing to her chest. This case may be connected to those of Donna Sue Oglesby and Marion Kelly.

Michael L. Shankel

Date: September 1, 1971 Location: 2900 block of Duke Street

Michael L. Shankel, 20, was found lying in the street in the 2900 block of Duke Street. He was suffering from a single gunshot wound to the neck. He was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

Willie Ben Parker

Date: January 30, 1972 Location: 300 block of N. Henry Street

Police responded to a home in the 300 block of N. Henry Street to find Willie Ben Parker, 52, who had been beaten and robbed. Mr. Parker died from blunt force trauma to the head.

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

Marion Kelley

Date: December 19, 1972 Location: 100 block of Skyhill Drive

Marion Kelley, 31, was last seen in November 1972. She was found deceased over a month later in an abandoned building, suffering from trauma to the upper body. This case may be connected to the cases of Yvonne Dowdy and Donna Sue Oglesby, above.

Freddie Paige Painter Date: July 8, 1973

Location: 50 E. Reed Ave. Freddie Paige Painter, 44, was found in the rear of 50 East Reed Avenue near the railroad tracks suffering from multiple stab wounds. He died from his injuries.

George E. Huff

Date: July 22, 1974 Location: 500 block of N. Henry Street

Officers responded to the report of a shooting in the 500 block of North Henry Street and found George E. Huff, 55, suffering from a gunshot wound. Mr. Huff succumbed to his wounds.

Lillie May Pickenpack

Date: December 21, 1974 Location: 100 block of Queen Street

Lillie May Pickenpack, 64, was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest when police responded to the report of a shooting in the 1100 block of Queen Street. Ms. Pickenpack died from her injuries.

Donnell Tyrone Adkins Date: January 31, 1976

Location: 200 block of N. Payne Street

Donnell Tyrone Adkins, 34, was found inside his residence suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. He succumbed to his injuries before paramedics arrived.

COLD CASES

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“The best thing that residents can do is if they see something, say something no matter how small,” Bassett said. “We also ask that residents and city visitors please visit our cold case webpage to see if there is any assistance that can be provided in solving any of these past crimes.”

Information about Alexandria’s cold cases is available at www.alexandriava. gov/police/info/default.aspx?id=17036. Information about cold cases in Fairfax County is available at www.fairfaxcounty. gov/police/servicesah/cold-case. Fairfax County Police Department officials did not respond to several requests for comment for this story.

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

HOME & GARDEN

Attic space

It's Awkward Designers offer tips on making the most of odd nooks and corners in your home. BY BETH LAWTON ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARKS-WOODS CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

In progress

In your home, it may be the space under the stairs, the far end of the hallway or the entryway without anywhere near enough storage. No matter where it is, just about every home has an area that’s a little bit awkward or just needs some creativity to be a useful space. We talked to designers who have come up with solutions to those awkward spaces in Alexandria homes.

March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

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alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

Before - the original unfinished basement.

Going Up and Down A full renovation and addition, designed by Marks-Woods Construction Services, on a home in the Beverly Hills neighborhood made both the attic and basement a bit more useful. The original home had a “super small”unfinished attic. Instead of using the attic for storage, the family wanted to expand their living space vertically. A spiral staircase for access and the addition of new dormer windows made the attic a space for a home office.

Before the renovation, the basement of the home was unfinished. To maximize the small space, Marks-Woods Construction Services made use of every inch — including the nook under the stairs in the basement. Often, this space becomes a messy storage area or, if height allows, a tiny restroom. In this case, bookshelves under the narrow staircase added attractive shelving and left room for a small, pet-friendly corner for the family’s spaniel.

JANET BERTIN Decorating Alexandria for more than 25 years

The pantry — a functional focal point

Keeping the Cans… Somewhere Going from a closed-off, dark kitchen to an open-concept kitchen comes with a lot of perks, including more counter space and light. But when walls are removed, where does the pantry go? Normally tucked off in a corner, those who are lucky enough to have a proper pantry benefit from its added storage.

When renovating this kitchen, MarksWoods designers made an unusual choice — featuring the pantry as a focal point. The pantry was put right in the middle of the kitchen in a way that gave it architectural significance on the outside while serving as useful space on the inside. The back of the pantry is now a feature wall when you view it from the dining room.

We love the homes we do highly traditional with a flash of glam to rock star with notes of classic, and everything in between! Call us and we can help you love your home too!

Janet Bertin, Allied ASID 703-299-0633 The kitchen

janetbertin@decoratingden.com janetbertin.decoratingden.com March/April 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com

HOME & GARDEN

Creating a 'Drop Zone' Sometimes homes have plenty of storage — in the least useful places. That was the case with this home, pictured below, in Alexandria’s West End. The homeowners needed a better solution for the front entryway to create better (and more attractive) storage for shoes, jackets and backpacks. The solution was not to build more closets, but to create built-in storage that looks like it was part of the home’s original design all along. In addition to the shelves and hooks, Marks-Woods Construction Services designers left space for shoes and backpacks on the floor. Under the stairs in the same entryway, built-in decorative shelving gave the homeowners space to display artwork and draw visual attention into the living area.

Built-in decorative shelving

alexandrialivingmagazine.com • March/April 2022

Another home's solution for a drop zone at their side entrance.