Unseen Old Town: The Martin V.B. Bostetter Jr. Federal Courthouse
Alexandria, VA — Have you noticed this around own? Where is it? What do you know about it? To see more quirky photos and close-up angles of secret and not-so-secret spots in Old Town, Alexandria, and jump in with guesses, and comments, follow the discussion, and submit your own photos for consideration, join the Unseen Old Town Facebook group. As for the photo above, we will reveal what it is and where it is in our next issue, along with a new one for you to ponder.
Last month’s photo:
The Albert V. Bryan Federal District Court in Alexandria was built in 1930 at 200 South Washington Street where it intersects Prince Street, as shown in our photo from last month. It’s now the United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern Division, named The Martin V.B. Bostetter Jr. Federal Courthouse, honoring the longest-serving full-time bankruptcy judge in federal service.
Judge Bostetter served on the bench in the Bankruptcy Court for 40 years, until his retirement in 1999. Over the years, the Courthouse was a hub of both local and national activity.
Besides housing the Eastern District Court of Virginia, it also served as the main post office in Alexandria for many years. It was a place where local professionals and business owners ran into each other on a regular basis on the first-floor post office. Upstairs, the Federal Court, nicknamed the rocket docket because of its unofficial motto, “Justice delayed is justice denied,” ran very efficiently.
The old Alexandria Courthouse saw several high-profile cases, including the arraignment of Black Power advocate H. Rap Brown, CIA translator-turned-spy Larry Wu-Tai Chin, and Navy spies John and Michael Walker. Many of these cases inspired bestselling books and films, adding to the courthouse’s storied past at South Washington and Prince Streets.
