On May 19, 1871, fire swept through Alexandria’s City Hall, consuming the building that housed the city’s government and destroying one of early America’s architectural treasures. Benjamin Latrobe’s historic 1817 steeple design—a graceful monument to Federal-era craftsmanship—was lost forever in the blaze. Latrobe, who also designed the U.S. Capitol and numerous other landmarks, had created a distinctive steeple that symbolized Alexandria’s civic pride and architectural sophistication.
The fire represented more than the loss of a building—it erased a tangible connection to the young republic’s architectural heritage. Though City Hall was rebuilt on the same site, Latrobe’s original vision was gone, leaving only historical descriptions and sketches to remember what once crowned Alexandria’s seat of government.
☛ Read more about Alexandria’s fires and fallen firefighters at this interactive map