Potomac West in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

George Washington High School

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 29, 2022

1. George Washington High School Marker

Inscription. The City of Alexandria purchased 15.5 acres here in 1933 and opened George Washington High School in 1935. For two decades this was the city's only public high school for white students. The Art Deco-style building was constructed with funding from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, a New Deal agency that helped modernize the nation's infrastructure during the Great Depression. Later expanded, the school served as an important community gathering place for the arts and athletics. Alexandria's school system was desegregated in 1965. This campus, which closed as a four-year high school in 1971 and later became a middle school, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-158.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Charity & Public Work • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.

Location. 38° 48.997′ N, 77° 3.407′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Potomac West. It is at the intersection of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Adams

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Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Mt. Vernon Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1005 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria VA 22301, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named George Washington High School (within shouting distance of this marker); The Alexandria Almshouse (approx. 0.4 miles away); Colored Rosemont (approx. 0.4 miles away); Parker-Gray High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad (approx. 0.4 miles

George Washington High School (now George Washington Middle School) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 29, 2022

2. George Washington High School (now George Washington Middle School)

away); Earl Francis Lloyd (approx. 0.4 miles away); War, Rails, and Wells (approx. 0.4 miles away); Colross-Alexandria's Urban Phoenix (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.

Also see . . . George Washington High School NRHP nomination form. The George Washington High School is located seven blocks south of Alexandria’s National Register-listed Town of Potomac Historic District (NRHP 1992; #100-0136). Now referred to as the George Washington Middle School, the school building has been enlarged several times since its original 1934 - 1935 construction date yet retains its integrity and its original Art Deco features. The original 286,000 square-foot building is situated on level ground within a trapezoidal lot encompassing 1,040,169 square feet, located on the east side of Mount Vernon Avenue between Glendale Avenue and Braddock Road. The site consists of the original building, which has two historic additions built in 1938 and 1947, and the contributing Mechanical Arts Building built in 1941. The non-contributing Tulloch Gymnasium was built in 1961 off the school’s

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southeast corner. A 2002-2003 addition linked the gym, the Mechanical Arts Building, and the original school. Two additional non-contributing structures on the site include a small metal bleacher adjacent to the athletic field and a power station near the northeast corner of the school. (Submitted on August 18, 2025.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 3,343 times since then and 215 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 29, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.