About Us

The Lee-Fendall House is a family home in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Since its construction in 1785, this home has housed thirty-seven members of the Lee family (1785–1903), hundreds of convalescing Union soldiers during the Civil War (1863–1865), the prominent Downham family (1903–1937), and powerful labor leader John L. Lewis (1937–1969). Throughout its history, the home was also lived and worked in by generations of enslaved and free African Americans.

The historic home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as the Virginia Landmarks Register and is a documented contributing feature to the National Historic Landmark District of Alexandria, Virginia. The property is now owned and operated by the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation and run as a museum to preserve the architectural and historic value of the house and gardens and to spread knowledge and appreciation for Virginia and American history.