City presents updated City Hall and Market Square concept; board and preservation groups press for less-visible fifth floor and clearer south entry

The City of Alexandria presented updated concept designs for City Hall and Market Square that narrow the visibility of a proposed fifth floor, rework the plaza and offer two canopy options; the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) and preservation groups urged more study of rooftop visibility, the south façade entry and lighting.

The plan retains a limited, usable fifth-floor level while moving most mechanical equipment off the roof, and adds a reconfigured plaza with larger open space along the main axis, a reduced row of trees and a pair of new stair/elevator enclosures intended as transparent anchors. The project team described two canopy approaches — a softer, rounded “option 1” and a more faceted, geometric “option 2” — and said renderings would be refined with final materials and paint analysis.

Why it matters: City Hall and Market Square are central features of Old Town Alexandria and the BAR, Historic Alexandria Foundation (HAF) and the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission all said the building’s classical and Victorian-era elements must remain dominant. Several board members also urged a…