Alexandria,VA |
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Current Mostly Cloudy 80º Sunset 8:14 pm |
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| High: 82 | High: 75 |
| Low: 60 | Low: 56 |
The House
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The House Carlyle began construction of the house in 1751, using indentured servants and slave labor and built his home with public and private concerns in mind. The home itself, designed in the Georgian Palladian style, provides both public spaces for entertaining and private areas for family and servant use. He also arranged the surrounding dependencies and landscaping according to the needs of both his household and his business. The outbuildings serviced both the family lifestyle (necessary, smokehouse, etc.) and his merchant business (office, warehouses). Although construction took almost three years, Carlyle’s completed home signified both his status as a gentleman and his business enterprises. Following Carlyle’s death, his oldest daughter Sarah lived in the house with her family. By 1827, the house was no longer owned by the family, and over the next century and a half, passed through many hands. The site served a variety of purposes including a hospital during the Civil War, a hotel and a private residence. In 1970, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority acquired the property. After six years of restoration, the house and gardens were opened to the public as a museum.
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