A Nod to the Past, An Eye for the Future

The Original Mount Vernon Welcome Center honors its past while looking to the future with an environmentally responsible design that shifts the concept of a community center to a human development center.

Built in 1939 the Original Mount Vernon High School stands as a classic example of Colonial Revival architecture on a 22-acre site that was once part of George Washington’s estate. With a renewed sense of purpose, robust public engagement, comprehensive renovation, and historic preservation and adaptive reuse strategies, the former high school will now offer the South Fairfax County community a place to gather, learn, innovate, and be inspired: The Original Mount Vernon Welcome Center (OMVWC).

The culture of the OMVWC is to provide pathways of opportunity for all patrons at every stage of life. To bring this vibrant energy into existence, the OMVWC had to be radically shifted from its previously vacant state and redesigned. The entire facility now has a refined sense of flow through three distinctive anchor spaces: Education, Performance, and Health.

The design of the revitalized space creates a circular flow pattern through the building where many community programs, once housed in neighboring buildings, are now centrally located, and new programs and opportunities are unified.

Each program equips patrons with skills, information, and opportunities to connect more deeply to their community and create career and economic pathways. The building will house classes, training sessions, performances, cultural events, non-profit operations, and more.