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The Athenaeum

Black-and-white photo of a building labeled Prince St. Warehouse, featuring large columns at the entrance and surrounded by trees and a fence.
A group of men, many in uniforms, stand in front of a large columned building labeled OLD DOMINION on a tree-lined street with a few people and a horse in the background. The scene appears historical.
A group of people stand outside a large, peach-colored building with tall columns and the word ATHENAEUM on the pediment, surrounded by trees and a streetlamp on a sunny day.
A man stands and speaks to a seated audience in an art gallery with large windows and colorful artwork on the walls. The audience listens attentively.
Rows of gold chairs with purple cushions face two large windows and floral arrangements in a bright room, ready for a wedding or event. The chairs have small bouquets attached to the aisle seats.
A quiet brick-walled courtyard with potted plants, stone benches, and neatly trimmed shrubs on a stone-tiled floor, surrounded by greenery and shaded by overhanging trees.
A historic, pink-colored building with columns and a triangular pediment labeled ATHENAEUM stands on a brick sidewalk at a street corner under a clear blue sky.
A historic, peach-colored building with tall columns and a triangular pediment labeled ATHENEUM stands on a street corner next to leafless trees and a green street sign reading PRINCE.
Black and white photo of a building labeled Prince St. Warehouse with tall columns at the entrance, surrounded by trees and a fence, viewed from the street corner.
A historic pink building with tall columns and the word ATHENAEUM on its pediment stands at a street corner on a sunny day, with bare trees and a streetlamp nearby.
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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.