City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: FEBRUARY 20, 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:
TITLE
Consideration of a Grant Application to the National Park Service for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program.
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ISSUE: The Office of Historic Alexandria is applying for a Semiquincentennial Grant from the National Park Service to fund the roof replacement for the historic Gadsby's Tavern buildings.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Approve submission of the grant application; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to execute all the necessary documents to apply for,
accept, and implement the grant, if awarded.
BACKGROUND: The Semiquincentennial Grant Program was created by Congress in 2020 to honor the 250th anniversary of the United States by restoring and preserving sites and structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places that commemorate the founding of the nation. For the purposes of this grant program, the "founding of the nation" is defined as the period ending December 31, 1800. Historic resources supported by this program may include those associated with the political ideas, well-known individuals, pivotal events, or sites of conflict typically thought of in conjunction with this period of American history.
Gadsby's Tavern Museum consists of two buildings, a ca. 1785 tavern and the 1792 City Tavern and Hotel. In those seven short years, the young Republic began to take shape through the conversations and choices being made in these tavern spaces. Taverns like these provided a place for discussing revolutionary ideas like liberty, equality, and justice, along with how best to put them into practice. These same taverns, however, also reinforced traditional social order through their operat...
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