The Athenaeum

A black-and-white photo of a building with large columns at the entrance, labeled PRINCE ST. WAREHOUSE. Trees partially obscure the structure, and a street runs alongside it.

Black and white photo of a group of men in uniforms standing outside a columned building labeled Old Dominion on a tree-lined street with early 20th-century architecture.

A group of people stands outside a peach-colored Greek Revival building with tall columns and a sign reading ATHENAEUM, while a guide gestures toward the entrance on a sunny day.

A man stands and speaks to a seated audience in an art gallery, with colorful paintings and large windows in the background. The attendees listen attentively.

Bright wedding ceremony room with gold chairs arranged in two rows, purple and white flower arrangements on aisle seats, large windows showing trees, and framed art on cream walls.

A small, paved courtyard is surrounded by tall brick walls and filled with potted plants, leafy trees, and two decorative topiaries. There is a stone bench on the right side and greenery throughout.

A historic pink and white Greek Revival building with columns and the word ATHENAEUM above the entrance, located on a brick sidewalk at the corner of Prince Avenue and another street.

A historic pink and cream Greek Revival-style building labeled ATHENAEUM stands on a brick sidewalk at a street corner, with leafless trees and a streetlamp nearby under a clear blue sky.

Black and white photo of a building labeled Prince St. Warehouse. The structure has tall columns and a triangular pediment, resembling classical architecture, and is partially obscured by trees.

A pink, columned Greek Revival building labeled ATHENAEUM sits on a corner with brick sidewalks, bare trees, and a street sign reading PRINCE ST on a sunny day.

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The Athenaeum is a Greek Revival building built in 1851 and was home to the Bank of the Old Dominion. During the Civil War occupation of Alexandria, Federal troops commandeered the building, which they used as Commissary Headquarters for the Union Army. After the Battle of Bull Run/First Manassas, the building served as a triage facility for wounded Union soldiers.

One of the few remaining examples of neo-classical Greek revival architecture in historic Alexandria, the Athenaeum is on both the Virginia Trust and National Register of Historic Places. Today it is an art gallery and home of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association.

Open Thursday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on major holidays.