301 South Saint Asaph Street
In October 1824, Alexandria was consumed with Lafayette-mania. Thousands of spectators had lined the streets, and school children threw petals to adorn the path of the last surviving major general of the Revolutionary War, the Marquis de Lafayette. Then, people crowded outside this house, demanding to hear from the Marquis. What was originally planned as a four-month tour of the country he helped to liberate turned into a 13-month tour of grateful, cheering crowds in 24 states.
The widow Elizabeth Lawrason was asked if she would lend this distinguished guest her home because it was deemed the most elegant in the city. The grandeur begins with the elaborate Federal-style entryway, one of the most impressive in Old Town. The elliptical fanlight over the doorway adds height, and the designs on the sidelights enhance the door, as do the flanking fluted pilasters. The stone steps leading to the sidewalk expand the presence of the entryway. The crowning glory is the fifteen stars festooned above the door, symbolizing new American states.
The interior matches the exterior in splendor. The grand entrance hall features a Zuber (famous French scenic wallpaper company) mural of Lafayette watching West Point cadets pass in review, a floating staircase that spirals three stories high, and a seamless curved door at the end of the hall.
Continental Army Commander-in-Chief George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, whose relationship was that of father and adopted son, are reunited through the display of busts and portraits of the two close friends in the Living Room.
This year’s bicentennial commemoration of Lafayette’s stay in Alexandria promises some of the excitement of his first visit to our city. On October 16, a new tabletop marker recounting the contributions of one of the indispensable men of the American Revolution will be installed on Duke Street beside this historic house.