Many historic buildings in Alexandria have facilities available for rent to businesses and groups. Here are a few of the venues available:
Alexandria Black History Museum
Black History's Home Page | Black History's Rental Page
The first floor of the Alexandria Black History Museum may be rented for receptions, meetings and programs. Maximum capacity for any event held in the museum is 150 persons. The Robert Robinson Gallery, the Parker-Gray Gallery and the lobby area comprise the rental space. A kitchen and rest rooms are located on the same floor. All space is handicapped accessible.
The Watson Reading Room is available for small lectures and meetings. The maximum seating capacity for this room is 40 persons. No food or drink is allowed in the Watson Reading Room. The Watson Reading Room is handicapped accessible.
The Alexandria African American Heritage Park located at Duke Street on Holland Lane is a nine acre memorial park honoring the work and spirt of Alexandria’s African American community. One acre of the AAAHP preserves a 19th-century African American cemetery. Events held in the park are expected to respect the solemnity and contemplative nature of the site. No food or drink is permitted at events held in the park. All events must end by 7:30 p.m. Approval for use of this site must come from the Museum and the City’s Department of Recreation.
Athenaeum Home Page | Athenaeum Rental Page
The Athenaeum, located on Prince Street in Old Town, Alexandria, was built as a bank in 1851 and is a registered Virginia Landmark and a National Historic Site. Today, the Greek Revival building, with its high coved ceilings and large windows looking out onto cobblestones and 18th-century houses, is a splendid spot to have your next gathering. The building is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association as an art gallery and is available for rental for meetings, lectures, concerts and parties only on weekends when the activities schedule permits. The building can be rented from the week after Easter through the last weekend in October. It is not available for rental from November through Easter. The two galleries are complemented by a small sculpture garden which can be tented. There is a small catering kitchen. Ample parking can be found within a two block radius.
The building can accommodate groups of up to 175 depending on the occasion, but only 80 when seated at tables. With a canopy in the garden it can accommodate up to 225 persons. Membership is required and is open to the public. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact:
The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association
201 Prince Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-548-0035Carlyle House
Carlyle House Home Page | Carlye House Rental Page
In 1753 the wealthy Scottish merchant, John Carlyle, completed this imposing Georgian mansion in the new town of Alexandria. When British General Edward Braddock arrived in Alexandria with 1100 troops in 1755, he made Carlyle House his headquarters. It was there that he summoned the colonial governors to what host John Carlyle called the "...Grandest Congress...ever known on this Continent...," a council held to discuss the strategy and funding of the French and Indian War.
Today, John Carlyle's elegant country-style residence may be rented for private receptions. The house has space for 100 persons. Between April and October, a canopy is provided for the spacious brick terrace overlooking the gardens and the capacity is 150. For more information or to make a reservation please contact:
Carlyle House Historic Park
121 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-549-2997Friendship Firehouse Museum
Friendship Firehouse Home Page | Friendship Firehouse Rentals
Rent the historic second floor meeting room, furnished as it was in the late 19th century, the real heyday of Friendship as a community organization.On view here are various ceremonial objects such as parade uniforms, capes, banners and other regalia.
Friendship Firehouse Museum
107 S. Alfred Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-838-4994 (Ask for Facilities Coordinator)Gadsby's Tavern
Gadsby's Home Page | Gadsby's Rental Page
The Gadsby's Tavern complex consists of three buildings: the Museum at 134 North Royal Street, constructed in 1785; the Restaurant at 138 North Royal Street, built in 1792; and the American Legion Hall at 400 Cameron Street.
The Museum has been restored and furnished to portray tavern life in late eighteenth-century Alexandria. Museum rooms are available for rental use accommodating up to 175 people. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact:
Gadsby's Tavern Museum
134 North Royal Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-838-4242Gadsby's Tavern Restaurant can host private parties of up to 90 persons and receptions for up to 150. In keeping with the late 18th century-setting, no amplified music is permitted. Additional l9th-century space may be obtained to accommodate up to 250. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact:
Gadsby's Tavern Restaurant
138 North Royal Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-548-1288The American Legion Hall Ballroom is available for receptions, parties, and meetings and can accommodate up to 150 persons. For more information or to make a reservation please contact:
American Legion Hall Ballroom
Royal Caterers
703-548-1616Lee-Fendall House
Lee Fendall House Home Page | Lee Fendall House Rental Page
The Lee-Fendall House was built in 1785 by Philip Richard Fendall, the first of 37 Lees to live in the home. John L. Lewis, the American labor leader, was its last private owner and resident. It is now an historic house, furnished with many Lee family heirlooms, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The lovely white clapboard home and its gardens have been the setting for generations of family celebrations, and they are now available for rent to individuals and groups for their own special events such as weddings, receptions, corporate luncheons, and dinners. Guests are greeted in the garden, under the massive magnolia, ancient chestnuts and ginko trees, or in an ambiance of candlelight and antiques in the historic house. Up to 100 people can be accommodated. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact:
Lee-Fendall House
614 Oronoco Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-548-1789Lloyd House Rental Page
The first floor and garden of Lloyd House are available for rentals and can accommodate up to 100 people, depending on the occasion. This includes weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, parties, meetings and programs.
Constructed around 1796-1797 by John Wise, a prominent entrepreneur in the early town who also constructed Gadsby’s Tavern (1785), Lloyd House is one of the best examples of Alexandria’s late eighteenth-century Georgian style.
For information on Lloyd House rentals contact:
Facilities Coordinator
Lloyd House
220 N. Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-838-4554Lyceum Home Page | Lyceum Rental Page
The Lyceum was built in 1839 in the Greek Revival style. The Alexandria Library Company, an organization devoted to the intellectual improvement of the citizens of Alexandria, occupied the building until the Civil War. After the war the building was sold as a private residence. It was saved from demolition in 1969 and in 1974, after extensive restoration, opened as the nation's first Bicentennial Center. It now serves as the history museum for the City of Alexandria.
A large room is available for meetings, lectures, concerts, weddings and receptions and can accommodate groups of up to 175. There is also a small kitchen. Smoking and amplified music are not permitted. For more information or to make a reservation, please contact:
Facilities Director
The Lyceum
201 South Washington Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-838-4994Potomac Riverboat Company operates a fleet of vessels of various sizes for city/business/social entertaining, as well as weddings and receptions. The escape from the ordinary, coupled with the uniqueness of a cruise experience, makes for a memorable experience.
The Cherry Blossom is an authentic paddlewheeler complete with a vintage interior of mahogany, brass and marble. The vessel's two elegant salons are climate controlled for year-around cruises. Accommodates up to 250 passengers.
The Matthew Hayes and the Admiral Tilp offer scenic view of Washington's majestic monuments, including the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Washington Monument, the Kennedy Center, and more. Docking for these boats is available from Old Town Alexandria, Mount Vernon, and Georgetown. The Matthew Hayes accommodates up to 100 passengers, and the Admiral Tilp accommodates up to 50 passengers. Please contact:
The Potomac Riverboat Company
205 The Strand
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-684-0580Constructed at the end of World War I, the Torpedo Factory Art Center was transformed into a center for the visual arts in 1974. Since its renovation in 1983 it has housed 85 studios where artists make, exhibit, and sell their art, as well as five cooperative membership galleries. Artists work in a variety of media, including painting, ceramics, printmaking, jewelry, sculpture, fiber arts, glass and photography. This unique, municipally-supported art center is located in Alexandria at the edge of the Potomac River.
The long main hall, with views into the artists' studios may be rented for receptions, parties or dinner for up to 700 persons. The entire Art Center, consisting of three floors, can accommodate events of up to 1200 persons. A small kitchen is also available. For more information or to make a reservation please contact:
Administrator
Torpedo Factory Art Center
105 North Union Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
{703) 703-838-4199
