City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: FEBRUARY 5, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: DANA WEDELES, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES OFFICER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Resolution Rededicating Calhoun Avenue, Stevens Street, and Frost Street
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ISSUE: Next phase of Renaming Streets Recognizing Confederate Military Leaders.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Approve the rededication of Calhoun Avenue, Stevens Street, and Frost Street.
2. Direct staff to proceed with public engagement on the proposed renaming of Iverson Street to Edmonson Street.
BACKGROUND: On January 10, 2023, then Mayor Justin Wilson introduced a proposal to rename streets in the City of Alexandria that currently honor Confederate military leaders. Many such names originate from a 1953 ordinance directing that north-south streets, "insofar as possible," be named after Confederate leaders. The ordinance was adopted one year after the City annexed the West End, where many streets had not yet been named, and just before the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, similar acts during this period reflected a broader segregationist backlash, including the naming of streets and public buildings after Confederate figures.
City staff have confirmed at that time that 41 streets in Alexandria are named for Confederate soldiers, 21 of which were named in 1953. At the request of the then-Mayor, the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission (HARC), with support from the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA), compiled a list of individuals and places worthy of recognition, including but not limited to, underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), women, and historically marginalized groups, as well as to retired or historic street n...
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