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 stronger, more formal civic entry on the south (King Street) façade and asked that rooftop additions be made as unobtrusive as possible.

What the city showed and what it changed - Hyphens and stair towers: Designers recessed the stair/elevator enclosures to reveal more of the historic 1871 masonry and to create clearer separation between the 1871 and the 1961 infill massing. The BAR asked the team to explore flatter or visually simpler roof forms on those hyphens so the connectors do not read as conspicuous “ear”-like appendages. - Fifth floor and roofscape: The project team said most rooftop equipment will be relocated or concealed, and the rooftop profile has been lowered compared with earlier submissions. Designers acknowledged that a narrow glazed element of the top floor will still be visible from some vantage points; BAR members and preservation groups asked for further reductions in visible glass and recommended materials or skylights that make the penthouse recede behind the historic roofline. - Plaza and canopies: The revised plaza removes one row of trees to open the main axis, enlarges civic gathering space and anchors the plaza with the stair/elevator volumes and a small kiosk. Two canopy concepts were shown: a softer, rounded timber-like structure and a more geometric faceted alternative. Board members generally favored the rounded option for its quieter profile, but asked for details on drainage, materials and long-term aging. - Materials and color: The team reported paint analysis suggesting original window and cornice paint included a green tone; they said final window, brick and stone samples will be presented in later reviews.

Public comment and BAR response Historic Alexandria Foundation representative Gail Rothrock praised the design team’s outreach and recommended expanding the building’s period of significance in the historic record, but asked that the penthouse be “reconsidered” and not be visible at night from Market Square. Rothrock said: "I just don't think on our historic city hall, we should be seeing these glass windows" and urged minimizing visible glass. John Patrick of the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission said the primary concern is the penthouse’s glass at the North Royal and Cameron corner and recommended using skylights for interior daylighting and cladding visible walls in materials that make the penthouse "fade as much into the background as possible." He added that the hyphens should not be strongly backlit at night so exterior historic walls are revealed by exterior lighting, not by interior illumination of stair towers.

Board comments and next steps Board members commended the team for extensive outreach and for lowering rooftop visibility since the prior review, but several asked for further refinements before a certificate of appropriateness hearing. Recurring BAR requests included: reduce visible glass on the penthouse and study alternative cladding; refine hyphen roof profiles so they read less like “ear” appendages; explore restoring or re-proportioning the roof chimneys and balustrade; and provide final, physical samples for brick, stone, windows and canopy materials.

The BAR did not vote on the concept. Staff and the applicant will return with additional drawings, details on canopy materials and drainage, and material samples and paint analysis for the BAR’s next review.