Edmund Jennings Lee House in Old Town Alexandria Boasts Historic Pedigree

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- A private viewing and cocktail party was held Wednesday night at the historic Old Town Alexandria Edmund Jennings Lee House, currently on the market for $3.5 million. The event was hosted by McEnearney Associates and sponsored by Atlantic Coast Mortgage

Featured speaker Bill Euille, Alexandria's Mayor Emeritus, who was recently appointed to the Virginia Economic Development partnership by the governor, discussed economic development in the City of Alexandria and the community's growth over the years.

The Edmund Jennings Lee Home was a fitting venue, as Jennings Lee was the mayor of Alexandria 200 years ago.

Read more and see photos: Old Town Alexandria "WOW" House: Edmund Jennings Lee Home

The construction of the home began in 1791 and was completed by Edmund Jennings Lee, uncle of General Robert E. Lee, in 1801. The Old Town Alexandria Georgian house – a second home to General Robert E. Lee – boasts a massive drawing room said to be where Lee accepted his military commission to lead the Confederate Army.

The home features 11-plus foot ceilings, an original hand-blown, etched light fixture in the front hallway, a walled courtyard garden, wisteria-covered colonnade, an in-ground pool (a rarity in Old Town), a cellar-style gallery that leads to a tavern room touting brick and stone walls and beamed ceilings, and a garage, formerly a carriage house.

History surrounds those who enter the stately home, through the deeply recessed and carved Georgian doorframe and into the large drawing room with what is believed to be original hardwood floors and a fireplace mantle believed to be original to the house as well. Ornate brass 18th century lock plates feature scenes of riders and hounds in the chase (considered to be among the finest period hardware in the City of Alexandria).

One of the Lee homeowners, Edmund’s son Cassius, is believed to have been a spy for the Confederate Army. He left for Canada during the war because he was arrested so many times, though never charged. He later returned.

PHOTO (from left): Maureen McEnearney Dunn, president of McEnearney Associates, Shirley Mattam-Male, listing agent with McEnearney Associates, Alexandria Mayor Emeritus Bill Euille, Ann McClure, listing agent with McEnearney Associates and Jon Wolford, managing broker with McEnearney Associates, all stand in front of an original fireplace mantle in the drawing room of the historic Edmund Jennings Lee home (completed in 1801), where Robert E. Lee briefly resided. Photo by Kathy Strauss | ImageWerks