Alexandrians Then & Now: The Tracks Beneath King Street
What King Street Looked Like in 1926
ALEXANDRIA, VA — A century apart, two photographs of King Street tell a remarkable story of change—and of the memories that still linger beneath Alexandria’s most famous roadway.
The historic photograph, taken in 1926, looking east along King Street from St. Asaph Street, captures a very different Alexandria. Streetcar tracks run down the center of the road. Overhead trolley wires crisscross the sky. Only a handful of automobiles share the street. And in the far left corner stands the elegant Citizens National Bank, one of Alexandria’s most recognizable landmarks of the early 20th century.
A modern photograph taken from nearly the same spot this week reveals just how much has changed over the last 100 years.
A Street Frozen in Time
The streetcars are gone. The trolley wires have disappeared. The stately bank building has been replaced. Yet King Street remains the vibrant heart of Old Town, continuing to serve as Alexandria’s main street just as it did generations ago.
The Bank That Once Anchored King Street
Citizens National Bank was founded in 1870 and moved into its impressive new headquarters at the northeast corner of King and St. Asaph streets in 1905. Designed with Ionic columns, decorative stone medallions and a Spanish tile roof, the building stood as a symbol of Alexandria’s prosperity and confidence during a period of rapid growth.
For decades, residents conducted business there, deposited their paychecks, secured loans and gathered at one of the city’s most prominent intersections.
Many longtime Alexandrians still remember it.
“I well remember the Citizens National Bank, an impressive marble building, unfortunately razed for urban renewal,” recalled local resident Governor Burke after seeing the historic photograph.
David Arnold shared a more personal memory.
“I opened my first checking account there assisted by my grandmother, Granny Cora,” Arnold wrote. “Friend of the family and Little League coach Mr. Cornell was the vice president.”
Following a merger in the 1950s, Citizens National Bank eventually disappeared from the Alexandria landscape. The historic structure was demolished in 1967 and replaced by the modern building that occupies the corner today.
Memories of a Different Alexandria
The photograph also sparked memories of the businesses and characters that once animated this stretch of King Street.
Local historian Richard Wright recalled a familiar figure who spent his days beneath the town clock.
“And the old man with a camera on a tripod,” Wright remembered. “He was always under the clock. He took photos mostly of tourists.”
Wright also recalled a beloved neighborhood eatery that stood beside the bank.
“Next door to the bank (east side) was Presto’s Hot Dog Cafe—only 10 cents each … and a roll filled with pieces only a nickel.”
Those details help transform a historic photograph into something more than a snapshot of buildings and streets. They offer a glimpse into the daily lives of Alexandrians who walked these sidewalks, stopped for lunch, posed for photographs and watched the city evolve around them.
The Tracks Beneath King Street
The streetcar tracks visible in the 1926 image tell another fascinating chapter of Alexandria’s history.
Electric streetcars began operating in Alexandria in the late 19th century, connecting Old Town with neighborhoods including Del Ray, Washington, and Mount Vernon. For decades, trolleys rolled directly down King Street, carrying residents and visitors throughout the city.
The streetcar era came to an end in the early 1930s as automobiles became increasingly popular and transportation patterns changed.
But the tracks never completely disappeared.
In August 2020, city workers repairing a water main beneath King Street made a surprising discovery. As crews excavated the roadway near the intersection of King and Royal streets, they uncovered sections of the original streetcar rails still embedded beneath the pavement. Hidden from public view for nearly a century, the steel tracks offered a tangible link to Alexandria’s streetcar era and sparked interest among local historians and residents fascinated by the city’s past.
The discovery served as a reminder that traces of old Alexandria often remain just beneath the surface, waiting to be uncovered during modern-day construction projects. Modern Alexandria quite literally sits atop layers of its own history.
A Century Later
Today, thousands of people walk, drive, scooter, bike, and dine along King Street without realizing what lies beneath their feet. The rails remain hidden below the asphalt, while memories of landmarks like Citizens National Bank survive through photographs and the stories shared by those who remember them.
One hundred years after the original photograph was taken, King Street continues to connect Alexandrians across generations.
The buildings may change. The transportation may change. Even entire city blocks may evolve.
But the stories remain.
And sometimes all it takes is an old photograph to bring them back to life.
