VIP Alexandria Magazine | April 2022

Page 76

IN SPITE OF IT ALL T H E S P IT E H O U S E S O F A L E X A N D R I A Story by Liesel Schmidt | Photography by Lucia Smith

The Old Town landscape is rife with interesting buildings that hold centuries of history, complete with all the architectural peculiarities that come from that history—and the aptly named spite houses are among those quirky characteristics that make the area such a gem. Called "spite houses" because they were literally built to spite neighboring property owners, these structures are, by design, utterly impractical and strange. Creating obstructions to light or blocking access to adjacent buildings, these are the embodiment of rebelliousness, a brick-and-mortar example of just how intensely property owners could go toe-to-toe to assert their rights and mark their territory. Amidst the oldmeets-newness that makes Old Town Alexandria such a spectacularly charming community, spite houses pop up like wildflowers in a field of hothouse roses, mischievous little sprites among stoics. Imbued with stories and all the character that comes from withstanding the passage of so much time, the malice from which these architectural oddities were created has since been replaced by a sense of charm. The spite house that stands at 523 Queen Street is no exception, measuring seven feet wide and approximately 25 feet deep, its bright blue façade boldly announces its place as the narrowest house in America. Boasting a modest 325 square feet, the historic Hollensbury Spite House is two stories of spiteful planning at its finest. Built in 1830 by John 76 • VIP ALEXANDRIA MAGAZINE

Hollensbury, a local brickmaker and city council member who also owned the buildings on either side, the infinitesimal home was constructed with the explicit intent of barring passage for horse-drawn wagons and keeping rowdy loiterers out of his alley. More enclosed alleyway than house, the brick walls of the older houses create the side walls—complete with pockmarks from wagon wheels in the living room that testify to Hollensbury’s reasons for building it.


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Articles inside

A Night for Ukraine

1min
pages 96-100

A Concert for Ukraine

1min
pages 94-95

Alexandria Historic Garden Week

11min
pages 84-93

In Spite of It All: The Spite Houses

8min
pages 76-83

The Ten Thousand Villages Story

6min
pages 72-75

Boxwood's Into the Woods

1min
pages 56-57

Nepenthe Art Gallery Grand Opening

9min
pages 62-68

Wine Cellar Renovation

3min
pages 58-61

Arlington Condo Remodel

3min
pages 46-51

Shutter's Hill Kitchen Remodel

3min
pages 54-55

Champagne & Chocolates

0
pages 52-53

The JOINT Grand Opening

0
pages 44-45

Marks-Woods Construction

1min
pages 42-43

Aaron Podolsky, The Podolsky Group

1min
pages 40-41

Kristen Jones, McEnearney Associates

1min
pages 34-35

BNI Positive Power Meetup

4min
pages 24-27

Kellye Clarke, RGS Title

1min
pages 28-29

Britt Patterson, The Patterson Group

1min
pages 38-39

April Super Mom: Shawna Wentlandt

3min
pages 22-23

Susan Gray, Gray Attiliis Homes

1min
pages 32-33

Matt & Tony's Grand Opening

1min
pages 14-15

Orthodontics... What You Should Know

2min
pages 20-21
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