Former White House Chief Florist Laura Dowling, HAF President Robert F. Weinhagen Jr., Executive Director Mary Sterling. Photo: Ashley Greer
Alexandria, VA — Under blue skies and accompanied by the soft twang of bluegrass music, the Historic Alexandria Foundation (HAF) welcomed members and supporters to its annual spring meeting and garden party.
For many Alexandrians, the event offered the perfect excuse to don floral dresses and seersucker while enjoying the gardens and elegant surroundings of R. Latane Montague’s Prince Street residence. But beyond the social gathering was a deeper purpose: celebrating the people, partnerships, and preservation efforts that continue to protect Alexandria’s unique architectural and cultural heritage.
Founded in 1954, the Historic Alexandria Foundation advocates for the preservation of Alexandria’s historic buildings, neighborhoods, landscapes, and cultural resources. Through educational programs, restoration grants, research initiatives, advocacy efforts, and community partnerships, HAF works to ensure that Alexandria’s rich history remains a living part of the city’s future.
During the event, HAF President Robert F. Weinhagen Jr. reflected on the organization’s accomplishments and expanding mission before presenting this year’s grants, awards, and historic plaques.
Rachel Eddy, Ken Kolodner, and Danny Knicely play Old Time and Bluegrass
Investing in Alexandria’s History
This year’s grant recipients represent a wide range of preservation efforts across the city:
* Office of Historic Alexandria — $5,000 to support preservation and public access to seven of the Archives and Records Center’s most historically significant collections.
* Alexandria Archaeology — $7,500 to support a full nomination of the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex to the National Register of Historic Places.
* Lee-Fendall House Museum — $10,300 for restoration of the South Parlor wallpaper.
* Scholarship Fund of Alexandria — $5,000 for a graduating Alexandria City High School senior pursuing studies in historic preservation.
* William Ramsay’s World — $5,000 to create a research database centered on William Ramsay’s ledger and life in pre-Revolutionary Virginia.
Together, these grants reflect HAF’s commitment not only to preserving buildings, but also to safeguarding the documents, stories, scholarship, and cultural resources that help tell Alexandria’s story.
Richard Banchoff, Hannah Cox, and Herbert Berg
Preservation Through Partnership
One of the most compelling themes of the afternoon was the importance of community collaboration in achieving preservation successes. Board member R. Latane Montague and attorney Justin Savage discussed the recent effort to prevent construction of a large utility pump station in the center of a historic Old Town park. Montague, who spearheaded the campaign, assembled a broad coalition of residents, preservation advocates, legal experts, elected officials, and federal stakeholders to challenge what many believed was a foregone conclusion.
Savage reflected on the importance of bringing together diverse voices and expertise in support of preservation goals. Their remarks offered a powerful reminder that preservation victories rarely occur in isolation. Instead, they are often achieved through broad coalitions that unite citizens, nonprofit organizations, legal expertise, and government partners around a shared objective.
Both speakers emphasized that successful preservation depends upon communities working together rather than in silos — a lesson that remains increasingly relevant as historic communities across the country face mounting development pressures.
The foundation’s advocacy extends beyond grants and educational programs. HAF has also supported preservation efforts related to proposed development projects, including the legal challenge to the controversial “micro-zoning” approval at 301 North Fairfax Street. The case, brought by neighboring residents and supported by HAF, is currently under consideration by the Virginia Supreme Court and raises broader questions about zoning practices, neighborhood character, and the long-term stewardship of Alexandria’s historic districts.
These efforts reflect a growing understanding that preservation is not simply about protecting individual buildings. It is also about safeguarding the scale, public spaces, streetscapes, and sense of place that make Alexandria one of America’s most distinctive historic cities.
Ruth B. Apelt, Amanda Mertins and her son on the upper balcony.
Recognizing Historic Stewardship
One of the afternoon’s most notable moments was the presentation of a historic plaque to Brandon and Laura Mosoriak for their home at 31 Rosecrest Avenue. Unlike many properties recognized for preservation efforts, the home lies outside Alexandria’s traditional historic districts.
The Old and Historic Alexandria District, established in 1946, protects much of Old Town’s early architecture and eighteenth-century streetscape. The Parker-Gray Historic District, designated in 1984, encompasses the historically significant African American neighborhood that served as a center of Alexandria’s free Black community during the nineteenth century.
By recognizing a property beyond those boundaries, HAF highlighted an increasingly expansive vision of preservation — one that acknowledges historic significance throughout Alexandria’s neighborhoods and encourages stewardship wherever it occurs.
Preserving Historic Interiors
Weinhagen also spoke about an often-overlooked aspect of preservation: the interiors of historic homes. While Alexandria maintains strong protections for exterior architectural features, interiors generally remain the responsibility of individual homeowners. Preserving historic craftsmanship inside these homes presents a different challenge — one that depends on education, inspiration, and voluntary stewardship rather than regulation.
Featuring more than forty residences spanning three centuries, the book documents the craftsmanship, architectural details, and historic interiors that contribute to Alexandria’s distinctive character. From Colonial-era homes and Federal townhouses to imaginative adaptive-reuse projects, the volume demonstrates how historic properties can remain vibrant and livable while retaining their architectural integrity.
More than a coffee-table book, Old Town Style serves as a preservation document — capturing the beauty, creativity, and stewardship that continue to define Alexandria’s historic neighborhoods.
A Focus on Design and Hospitality
The gathering also celebrated the role that design, craftsmanship, and hospitality play in creating memorable community experiences. Executive Director Mary Sterling oversaw the event’s welcoming atmosphere, including the garden-party buffet and one of the afternoon’s most talked-about displays: a decorated salmon, a whimsical and artfully executed centerpiece that drew admiration from guests throughout the afternoon.
Executive Director Mary Sterling welcomes guests.
The display served as a reminder that preservation is not only about protecting historic places, but also about celebrating the traditions of creativity, craftsmanship, and gracious entertaining that continue to enrich community life today. As the afternoon concluded, attendees left with more than an appreciation for Alexandria’s past. They were reminded that preservation is ultimately about stewardship: the collective responsibility to protect the places, stories, and character that make Alexandria unique.
And as HAF’s recent successes demonstrate, that work is most effective when communities come together in support of a shared vision for the future.
Ashley Greer is a writer, floral designer, and geopolitical analyst whose work explores the intersection of culture, power, perception, and storytelling. She is the owner of Atelier Ashley Flowers, an invitation-only floral boutique known for immersive, one-of-a-kind floral installations, and the co-founder and creative visionary behind Art in Bloom DC, an annual exhibition pairing floral design with fine art.
Raised with a deep connection to nature, Ashley spent her childhood building imaginary worlds outdoors—digging in the dirt, wandering through the woods, and creating spaces of beauty and wonder from the plants and trees around her. That same spirit continues to shape her creative philosophy today. As an artisan florist, she views flowers, foliage, and natural materials as transformative tools capable of creating intimate, emotionally resonant experiences. Each arrangement she designs is intended as a fleeting work of ephemeral fine art—crafted uniquely for the individual receiving it.
A graduate of Pomona College, Ashley earned a degree in Art History with a minor in Media Studies in 2006. She spent more than two decades as an entrepreneur, creative director, and floral designer before expanding into journalism, strategic communication, and geopolitical analysis.
Ashley is also the founder and editor of MetaFleurs News, a media platform dedicated to exploring the intersection of culture, politics, technology, and power. Drawing on her background in aesthetics, symbolism, media strategy, and visual storytelling, her writing examines political theater, military imagery, information warfare, perception management, and the narratives modern powers use to shape influence.
Her reporting and commentary frequently focus on US-China-Taiwan relations, emerging technologies, military visual culture, nuclear energy, quantum science, extraterrestrial life, and the strategic importance of space exploration. At the same time, she has increasingly turned her attention to local journalism, writing feature stories on Alexandria community members, artists, small businesses, charitable initiatives, and cultural events, highlighting the people and moments that shape the character of the city she calls home.
Ashley approaches both geopolitical analysis and community storytelling through the same lens: a belief that narrative, symbolism, and human connection shape how people understand the world around them.
A mother of a 10-year-old and an active member of the Washington, D.C. spoken word community, Ashley continues to build her portfolio as a freelance writer while expanding MetaFleurs News into a platform for interdisciplinary reporting, cultural analysis, and strategic commentary.
