City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: GRETCHEN BULOVA, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF HISTORIC ALEXANDRIA
DOCKET TITLE:
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Consideration of a Grant Application to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture for the Commonwealth History Fund Grant Program.
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ISSUE: The Office of Historic Alexandria seeks to apply for a Commonwealth History Fund Grant from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture to fund a comprehensive documentary study of the Market Square and City Hall block.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Approve submission of the grant application; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to execute all the necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The Commonwealth History Fund was established by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture to support and encourage meaningful history education and preservation projects throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Made possible by generous funding from Dominion Energy and others, the Fund is designed to provide grants of approximately $400,000 per year and nearly $2,000,000 overall in its first five years of operation. Applications for the grant program are due September 30.
Market Square has been the center of civic activity for Alexandrians since the City’s founding in 1749. The current City Hall, built in 1871, is a great source of community pride and serves as a workplace for more than 300 City employees. After many years of service, major updates are needed throughout City Hall to repair aging building components, improve operating systems, optimize space utilization, improve building circulation and wayfinding, and enhance security.
The Office of Historic Alexandria seeks to support this renovation project with a documentary study of the Market Square and City Hall block.
This will involve primary source archival research that will seek to understand the history, evolution, and use of the several civic buildings that stood on the north half of this block. These include the original 1752 town hall, market house, jail, and courthouse, a single 1816 structure that replaced these buildings, and the 1871 Adolf Claus City Hall that still stands (with heavy modifications) today. While the use of this site by the municipal government is fairly-well understood, much less is known about the courthouse and the market as sites of the domestic slave trade. The sale of enslaved people here at Market Square came about through several functions of the local government, including court-ordered payment of debt, the settlement of personal estates, and tax sales conducted by the sheriff. Several instances of these have been documented by researchers, but a systematic survey of the sale of enslaved people here and the role of the City in these sales should be carried out.
The research will also examine the southern half of this block. This part of the block was completely cleared in the 1960s as a part of Urban Renewal redevelopment efforts. Some of the earliest archaeological work in the City was conducted here on the south side of the block, prior to the construction of the current Market Square plaza, but corresponding archival research into who lived and worked here has not been conducted.
DISCUSSION: If awarded this grant, the funds will support a term limited Grade 15 Research Historian for one year and a final report on their findings. The estimated cost of this project is $100,000.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no match required by the City for this grant.
STAFF:
Emily Baker, Deputy City Manager
Liz Williams, Deputy Director, OHA