Form 10-300 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE: (Dec. 1968) u I COUNTY. NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

ENTRY NUMBER (Type all entries complete applicable sections) ?AT5 - 11 I 11-J 1 '. 2

Carlyle House AND/OR HISTORIC: 1 House 2, LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER: I 123 North Fairfax Street ClTY OR TOWN: Alexandria STATE COD+ COUNTY: CODE Virginia 4 5 (in cit.) 5LU 3. rLAsslFlcArloN-- CATEGORY ' ACCESSIBLE OWNERSHIP STATUS (Ch~rkOne) TO THE PUBLIC

District 0 Building [a Public [ Public Acquisition: \occupied Yes: Site n Structure Private In Process Iunoc;upied ;I( Restricted 1 Bcing Considered 11 Preservation work Object n Unrestricted [y 'I in progress N,: C1

PRESENT USE (Check One or Wore as Appropriate) i Agricultural Government Park IJ Transportation rn Comments 7 ~ommerciol Industrial Private Residence Othet (Specjfy) U Educational Military Religious n Entcrtainmcnt Museum rXj Scientific , n 14. OWNER OF PROPERTY I OWNERS NAME

Carlyle Investment Corporation (Lloyd Diehl Shaeffer, President) + 1 123 North Fairfax Street I CITY OR TOWN STATE CODE e-Alexandria Virginia

Clerk of Courts, STREET ANDNUMFIER: Royal and ~amerokStreets L CITY OR TOWN: ( STATE I CODE I A1 exandr ia I Virginia APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: .3280 acre -. -. ------4: r6. REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS - --. - ITITLEOF SURVEY. I a, Buildings Survey Federal State a County n Local 0 m 1 DEPOSITORY FOR SUFiVEY RECORDS: -, a1 Library of Congress z STREET AND NUMBER: ? I2

ClTY OR TOWN: Washington District of Columbia (Lhrrk One) CONDITION

(Check One) (Check One) INTEGRITY Altcrad Unoltared Moved -.-- DESCRIBE THt PRESENT AN0 ORIGINAL (ilh770CV"j PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The is a two-and-a-half story rectangular structure which has been considerably altered both in appearance and setting. The wall surface which were originally brick decorated at the corners by stone quoins, are now covered by scored stucco. The present hipped roof with dormers is a replacement of what was probably a more shallow hip-on-hip roof without dormers. The original stone cornice, apparently a unique Virginia survival of the period, remains on the entrance facade but has been replaced by a wooden one on the sides and rear. The dated keystone survives in the central pavilion of the entrance facade, but it has been incorporated into a completely restyled doorway; the original doorway is thought to have been based on a Palladian motif. The original sash has been replaced throughout the house. The garden front entrance has also been restyled, an a neo-classic porch has been placed across the entire first floor.

Of the original interior trim, only that of the famous Blue Room and the small study, on the same side of the house, remain; the fully paneled Xluc Room is one of the finest of its period in the state. The remaining woodwork in the house is in the Federal style.

Originally the house had flanking dependencies in the manner of Annapolis townhouses, but they were removed in the nineteenth century and their appearance is uncertain. It is thought that these dependencies were to be joined to the main house by curved passages, but this has never been established. Unfortunately the entrance front of the Carlyle House has beer completely cut off from the street by the erection of a nineteenth century

five-story hotel immediately, ,$ :in ,' front of the house,,:,so that to reach the house one must 'pass thr6Lgh the hotel, 'across the moat;-and up the fron't steps. The original gardens which extended to the have since been cut off by warehouses and N. Lee Street. Although the house is presently in a peculiar situation, from N..Lee Street it still retains a commanding presence on itshighterrace. ' -- 8. SIGNIFICANCE I.:= I.:= .- . 1 PER~OD(Check One or More ea Approprlele) Pre-Columbian 16th Century 18th Century B 20th Century U 15th Century 17th Century 19th Century

SPECIFIC D~TEISI(If Applicable endKnown) 1752

anEas OF SIGNIFICANCE (checkone Or More88 Appmprlete) Abor iginol Education 0 Political Urban Plonnins 0 Prehistoric Enginsering Rsligion/Phi- Other (Specify) ~i~t~ri~ lndurtry 0 losophy Architecture Agriculture 0 Invention 0 Science Histow Art 0 Landscops Sculpture Comrnerco Architecture Social/Humon- Cornmunicotionr Literature 0 itorion U Conservation Military Theater Music • Tronspartotion

5rArEMENr OF S~CNIFICANCE (Include Persmsgea, Dates, Ersnts. E1c.j

As indicated by the initials and date in the keystone over the doorway, this fine mid-Georgian mansion was completed for John and Sara (Fairfax) Carlyle in 1752. A native of , John Carlyle was one of the original incorporators of the city of Alexandria. Although he was a merchant by profession, in 1755 Carlyle became a major in the Virginia Militia, and in 1758 he was appointed to the prestigious position of customs collector. i The Carlyle House was the center of much social and political activity ! in the years preceding the Revolution. On April 14, 1755, General Braddock. I met in the famous "Blue Room" of the Carlyle House with the governors of i Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York to plan the I ill-fated campaign against the Indians. Among the other notables entertairied , in the house at various times were , Benjamin Franklin, George Mason, John Marshall, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Lighthorse Harry Lee, and John Paul Jones. I

The Carlyle House is significant architecturally as it is the only surviving mid-Georgian townhouse in Virginia designed in a five-part plan in the manner of Annapolis townhouses. In addition the stone cornice is possibly a unique architectural feature for its time in Virginia. The architect of the house is unknown, but it is very likely that the design of the Carlyle House was based on Craigiehall, a Scottish house designed by William Adam, an engraving of which appeared in Vitruvius Scoticus, published in 1750. I 9. MAJOR BlBLlOGRAPHlCAt REFERENCES T----- 1 Davis, Deering, Stephen Dorscy, and Ralph C. Hall, Alexandria Houses, 1750-1830, New York: Bonanza Books, 1946.

10. GEOGRAPHICALDATA LATI- I^= I..^I -.L,"'T,lnF rnnnm,r,r-rr -r----7;r,r,,"i amn I ONGITUDE COORDINATE- 7-7-- -,.- L ",L- DEFlNlNG THE CENTER POlNT OF h PROPERTY OF LESS THtN ONE ACRE

CORNER LbTITUDE LONGITUDE

grees Minutes Seconds Degrees. Minutes Seconds 0 , ..

Cn C1 STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES rn STATE: CODE COUNTY CODE rn

CODE STATE: CODE COUNTY: - z STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE Cn I I CODE STATE: I I I I 71. FORM PREPARC0 BY "-

Staff of Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, James We Moody, Jr., Direct~~ DATE ORCANliATlON 8 April 1969

-. ' i' CODE Richmond, Virginia 23219 i 45 12. STATE LIAISON OFFICER CERTIFiCAlION NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION

, , :,, 1 I . ~ '' I J 4 : ! : . . ' As the desih~natrdState Ihison Officer for the Na- ' I herebv ~ertifythat this property is included in the tiooal Historir Prcservstion Act'pf 1966 (Public IAw National Register. 09.665). 1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Rcglster and certify that it has been 11 evaluated to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended Chief, Office of Atcheology undHistoric Preservation level of si~nificanccof this nom~nationis: ~~tio~~lState n I.ocal n I1 Date

Name ATTEST:

Tltk

D ~[I~IL? Date 1 Form 10.3000 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (Doc. 1968) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM Alexandria (~ncit .)I

(Con tinuatran Shcet) - (Number all enlrlss)

6. Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Report 1/100-10 1 I968 I Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Room 1116, Ninth Street State Office Building Richmond, Virginia 23219 Code: 45