ALEXANDRIA, VA — A century apart, two photographs of King Street tell a remarkable story of change—and of the memories that still linger beneath Alexandria’s most famous roadway.
The historic photograph, taken in 1926, looking east along King Street from St. Asaph Street, captures a very different Alexandria. Streetcar tracks run down the center of the road. Overhead trolley wires crisscross the sky. Only a handful of automobiles share the street. And in the far left corner stands the elegant Citizens National Bank, one of Alexandria’s most recognizable landmarks of the early 20th century.
A modern photograph taken from nearly the same spot this week reveals just how much has changed over the last 100 years.
A Street Frozen in Time
The streetcars are gone. The trolley wires have disappeared. The stately bank building has been replaced. Yet King Street remains the vibrant heart of Old Town, continuing to serve as Alexandria’s main street just as it did generations ago.
The Bank That Once Anchored King Street
Citizens National Bank was founded in 1870 and moved into its impressive new headquarters at the northeast corner of King and St. Asaph streets in 1905. Designed with Ionic columns, decorative stone medallions and a Spanish tile roof, the building stood as a symbol of Alexandria’s prosperity and confidence during a period of rapid growth…