Alexandria, VA – Our “Unseen Old Town” photo from last month featured a beautifully restored home in the 400 block of Prince Street. Longtime Alexandrians may remember that in the 1990s the property looked very different—then an aging apartment building rather than the elegant single-family residence we see today.
Its former owner, Elizabeth Elliott, and her companion, Karl Von Lewinski, lived next door at 413 Prince. Old Town was stunned in February 1984 when both were murdered by a disgruntled tenant, a tragedy that brought 415 Prince Street to the attention of many residents for the first time.
But the building’s significance goes far deeper than that moment in modern memory. In fact, 415 Prince Street was added to the National Register of Historic Places earlier this year for its important role in American history.
Built around 1807 as the original Bank of Potomac, the building played a key role in financing the Civil War. In May 1861, less than a month into the conflict, Union troops crossed the Long Bridge from Washington and occupied Alexandria for the duration of the war.
Seeking to re-establish Union control of Virginia, federal authorities installed Francis H. Pierpoint—a West Virginian elected governor in 1863—to lead the Restored Government of Virginia from offices inside 415 Prince Street. At one point, the Union even envisioned Alexandria replacing Richmond as the capital.
After the war, the property took on many roles: a bank, various municipal offices, an apartment building, and eventually a private residence.
Today, its graceful restoration speaks quietly of a turbulent past—one that shaped not only Old Town’s history, but the history of the nation.
