{"nrhp_refnum":"69000333","name":"Carlyle House","other_names":["John Carlyle House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"121 N. Fairfax St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Alexandria (Independent City)","county":"Alexandria","state":"VA","lat":38.80523274500007,"lon":-77.04194973099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1969-11-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half story mid-Georgian mansion at 123 North Fairfax Street in Alexandria, Virginia, completed in 1752 for John and Sara (Fairfax) Carlyle.","why_significant":"It is described as the only surviving mid-Georgian townhouse in Virginia built on a five-part plan in the manner of Annapolis townhouses, and its stone cornice is possibly unique for its time in Virginia. It was also a center of social and political activity before the Revolution, including a 1755 meeting of colonial governors with General Braddock in the Blue Room.","narrative":"Completed in 1752 for John and Sara (Fairfax) Carlyle, this two-and-a-half story Georgian mansion in Alexandria, Virginia, is marked by a dated keystone bearing the owners' initials. John Carlyle, a Scottish-born merchant, was one of the original incorporators of the city, later served as a major in the Virginia Militia, and became customs collector. In April 1755 General Braddock met in the house's Blue Room with the governors of Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York to plan a campaign. Architecturally, the house is described as the only surviving mid-Georgian townhouse in Virginia laid out in a five-part plan like Annapolis townhouses, and its stone cornice may be unique for the period. The designer is unknown, though the plan was likely based on Craigiehall in Scotland. Alterations include stucco over the brick, a replaced roof and sash, and a nineteenth-century hotel built in front of the entrance facade. The original Blue Room woodwork survives.","period_of_significance":"18th Century (specific date 1752)","architect_builder":"Architect unknown; built for John Carlyle","architectural_style":"Mid-Georgian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as fair and altered; the form says the house is occupied and open to the public as a museum. A 1969 letter in the file describes it as in poor condition and for sale.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.800606-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/56/6794/41679456/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/69000333.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000333/04eb110012-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000333/04eb110012-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Ser Amantio di Nicolao at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlyle_House_in_2009.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ser Amantio di Nicolao at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlyle_House_in_2009.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000928","name":"Alexandria Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/alexandria-historic-district-66000928/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679456","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlyle_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5043138"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/alexandria/carlyle-house-69000333/"}