Protecting Its Connection to the Past

By Ann Cameron Siegal
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, April 8, 2006

Vera Henderson's neighborhood, a small enclave of solid brick 1950s rowhouses sporting stoops, aluminum awnings and chain link fences, was once the close-knit domain of generations of black families in Alexandria.

"At one time, no one wanted to be here but us," said Henderson, acting president of the broader Southwest Quadrant Association, of which the community legally known as Jefferson Homes is a part.

But that's changed because the neighborhood has been "discovered." With discovery comes the fear among old-timers that what was once a stable, comfortable community is being renovated and bulldozed out of existence.

In 1966, Henderson and her husband purchased a two-bedroom rowhouse for $17,000. Nearby, a similar house, buffed to resale perfection, is now on the market for $449,999. However, cashing in and moving on is not in Henderson's plans.

"We hang on because this is where we live and we refuse to sell," she said, explaining why so many longtime residents shake their heads at the soaring house values and wonder if they can afford to stay put.

Jesurena Griffin, a native Alexandrian, said, "I've seen it go from a small static community where the same thing happened everyday and where you knew everyone, to where there are so many new faces."

Jefferson Homes is just north of the Capital Beltway where it joins Route 1 at the Wilson Bridge. An old railroad yard to its north was redeveloped into a large luxury townhouse and condo community, where gates cut off vehicle access by others to Duke Street. Five more luxury townhouses were built on the site of a former tombstone business. An apartment complex to the south has gone condo.

"I really worry that those who built this community will be pushed out," Griffin said.

The neighborhood has a history of activism. When students at the now-closed Robert E. Lee Elementary School didn't have uniforms, the coach and residents formed a parents' club to raise the necessary funds. Jaie Moon, who is raising her family in the house her parents purchased in 1965, recalled how her mother led efforts to create a community center after the school shut down in the early 1970s.

"There were no recreational facilities down here," Moon said, noting that children had to go some distance to get to a playground, pool or basketball court. Today, the Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center, named for Moon's mother, offers classes, day camps and facilities for youngsters throughout the city.

"My mother was an advocate for equity for all kids in Alexandria," Moon said.

Henderson said, "We've worked hard here through the years. We went to City Hall and found a mentor to help us get things done."

By raising their voices and learning the ropes, residents acquired improved lighting and stop signs. They successfully petitioned to keep South Henry Street one-way and to prevent a connector road between Route 1 and Eisenhower Avenue. The timer on lights at Route 1 was increased, so older residents have time to walk cross.

While walking through the neighborhood, it's easy to envision a lively past when extended families gathered around backyard brick barbecue pits on warm summer nights and called over chain link fences to neighbors doing the same. Henderson's eldest son, Maurice, now 51, used to harmonize with teenage friends on the corner, providing renditions of works by Sly and the Family Stone for all within earshot.

When houses needed trim painted, a roof installed or a fence repaired, "you asked each other and all helped," Griffin said.

Today, while Henderson can still rattle off the names of homeowners past and present -- including who moved, who died and who just got out of the hospital -- she has added housing turnovers to her repertoire.

When in her car, she still doesn't travel far before stopping to wave at someone sitting on a porch or working in a yard. Calls of "How's your mom?" or "I'm glad to see you're better!" ring out as she catches up on neighborhood news.

At a recent real estate open house, Henderson met Susan Minkin, a relative newcomer to the neighborhood. Henderson cocked her head in thought as Minkin described the house she had purchased. Soon, Henderson made the connection. "Oh, you have an orange cat!" she exclaimed.

Minkin is no stranger to Alexandria, having lived in Del Ray for four years before moving to Colorado. She discovered the Jefferson Homes neighborhood upon her return two years ago. "Honestly, I thought I knew every nook and cranny of Alexandria, but I didn't know this was here," she said.

Linda Chastain, who works for a local cancer research foundation, moved to the neighborhood in January. "I found it charming and loved the diversity," she said. Chastain, who looks forward to learning the community's history, already enjoys walks through Alexandria's past via the maze of cemeteries bordering the neighborhood on the west.

The Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex includes 13 cemeteries -- some active, some abandoned. Among them are Penny Hill, a pauper's cemetery established in 1795; the Black Baptist Cemetery, established in 1885; and Alexandria's National Cemetery, where there are graves of more than 3,000 Civil War soldiers. Several religious denominations also have burial sites in the complex.

Newcomers who seek to connect with the community's history aren't the ones who worry the old-timers. It's those who come in, renovate and quickly sell who are chipping away at the sense of control residents once felt.

"Some have no commitment to the community," Griffin said. "They are only interested in short-term investment. You may profit financially, but you lose something more important."

She asked, "How do you maintain a community when you don't have people who live in the community beyond the moment? That changes the spirit of the community. It becomes like living in a hotel."

Paul Wilson, a resident for 40 years, said, "Come here and say, 'I come because I want to enjoy the neighborhood with you,' " with the emphasis on "with."

Beverly "Mitch" Mitchell, who purchased his rowhouse 25 years ago for $62,000, said, "This was the best neighborhood in the city." The retired master auto mechanic reflected on the area's ups and downs. "It's coming back now," he said, noting that some of his neighbors spend their warm evenings much the way the old-timers did -- barbecuing and socializing in the back yard. "Sometimes they ask you over," he said. And they always ask, "Is the music too loud?"

Wendy Cooper, who moved to the neighborhood to cut the commute to her job at the Pentagon, helps host the annual "alley blastin' barbecue" in the alley behind her house. Now in its third year, the two-day event begins as neighbors pitch in to spruce up the alley, then culminates in a huge cookout.

To Griffin, the neighborhood's future still appears uncertain. Contemplating the "for sale" signs and the renovations around her, she said, "It will be interesting to see what's left when the dust settles."