Urban living can be distracting. As soon as you want some peace and quiet, your neighbors dog starts barking. The trash truck rumbles down the road early in the morning. Horns blare around rush hour. The cacophony of sound is part of the landscape.
Alexandria is one of the earliest cities in America. It was surveyed from 1748 to 1749 by John West and George Washington. The first auction sold half acre lots to many of the early trustees of the town. From there, the urban landscape has evolved and built up into what we see today.
Many of the half acre lots were subdivided into smaller lots. Row houses developed as a way to squeeze in multiple properties onto one lot. However, not all row houses were built right next to each other. Depending on when they were built, some of them might have been spaced apart from each other. As a result, there would be a narrow alley in between the two properties.
One would not normally think this would be a problem. Perhaps the extra space between neighbors could be good. But, for some owners, the narrow space presented new challenges. It brought unwanted visitors and unwanted traffic. Apparently some of these unwanted guests liked to frequent the many taverns throughout the city. Also, the traffic was not from cars but horses.
A property owner on Queen Street named John Hollensbury said, "Enough!" The noise and extra traffic became too much. In 1830, he took matters into his own hand. The narrow alley had to go. The seven foot alley was developed into a seven foot wide row house. The house is also 25 feet deep. Mr. Hollensbury was an early promoter of the tiny house movement.
The cobalt blue house on Queen is known as an "alley house." There are several other alley houses throughout Alexandria to include another prominent one on the 400 block of Prince Street. However, because of the origin story of this house, it is popularly known as the "Spite House."
The Spite House is an iconic spot in Alexandria. It is a chance to light up the Instagram stories with spread arms. If your wingspan exceeds seven feet, then congratulations, the house fits in your arms.
Ironically, the Spite House's original purpose to keep away visitors backfired. Over the years, it has become a popular tourist spot. It has become a chance for tourists to prove they've been to Alexandria.
Perhaps Mr. Hollensbury is turning over in his grave as so many visitors continue to travel to 523 Queen Street. On the other hand, he may be perfectly content that they can only look at the closed in space. The Spite House keeps visitors out of the alley space. As a private residence and iconic historic landmark, it is safe to bet that it will continue to block the space for many more years to come.
