Lloyd House
Also known as: John Wise House
Why it's listed
Built in 1796 by Alexandria businessman John Wise, this two-and-one-half-story brick house stands at the corner of Queen and Washington Streets near Christ Church. Its five-bay front is laid in Flemish bond and trimmed with sandstone, including jack-arched windows with fluted keystones. The doorway has paired Roman Doric columns, an open pediment and a semicircular fanlight. Inside is a double-pile, central-passage plan. The house passed through several prominent owners, among them Jacob Hoffman, later mayor, and John Lloyd, whose family held it for about a century. From 1826 to 1831 Benjamin Hallowell ran a school here, and Robert E. Lee was among his pupils. After years of deterioration and a threatened demolition, the house was bought in 1960 by a private owner, then purchased by the City of Alexandria in 1968. The city carried out a restoration under architect Walter Macomber and adapted it for new use.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites its handsome sandstone detailing and refined frontispiece doorway as architecturally notable and as an integral part of the Christ Church neighborhood. It is tied to several prominent Alexandria families and to Benjamin Hallowell's school, where Robert E. Lee studied mathematics. Its rescue from deterioration and threatened demolition and its later restoration are also noted.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 76002222, listed July 12, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 220 N. Washington St., Alexandria (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Alexandria |
| Listed | July 12, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76002222 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | John Wise (builder); Walter Macomber, architect (restoration) |
| Architectural style | Federal (also described as Georgian) |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of Alexandria, which restored it and adapted it for use by the Alexandria Library; the form notes a recent exterior restoration and interior renovation. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Alexandria Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.80722, -77.04680 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 76002222.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6662481
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.