Our home, a simple "working class" Victorian in the historic district of Old Town, Alexandria, was built circa 1886. We've done some research in an attempt to nail down a specific year, but the city records and library only get us in the ballpark range we have. We know the house, and the mirror twin house next door, weren't on the city fire map in 1885, but is listed in the city directory in 1887.
Throughout its life, our home has seen a change of two centuries, the first manned flight, WWI, The Great Depression, WWII, the JFK Assassination, putting a man on the moon, Vietnam, the destruction of the Berlin Wall, three baseball teams in D.C., the birth of the Internet, September 11 and countless other world and local events. It has been home to families small and large. It has been a single family home, a rental home, a two unit apartment, a rooming house, an artist's studio, a bachelor pad, and now, the home of a newly married couple, now many years into a renovation neither had ever expected.
To get a feel for the state of the home when we purchased it in 2003, check out photos taken during our home inspection. If you're interested in seeing where we are after years of renovation projects, take a look at our Renovation page, with room by room before, during, and after shots, as well as a link to posts on that project.
For an overview, check out this summary post with side by side before and afters. Or, if you want to get a better idea of how a 15 foot wide house is laid out, check out our floor plan description.
