North Ridge is about to lose one of its most cherished and symbolic structures. The new owner of 506 N. Overlook Drive is proposing to demolish this historic Civil War era house, subdivide the property, and build 2 new houses in its place. This house was built in 1850, owned by a free African American man named Hampshire Fractious in the years immediately after the Civil War, and is said to have been used as a hospital during the war. It is listed as a Documented Historic Site in the 1992 Alexandria Master Plan for Historic Preservation.

Please support this petition asking the Alexandria Planning Commission to defer approval of this request, at least until the Office of Historic Alexandria can complete the required evaluation and report on the history of this site. We would like to explore alternate approaches that would preserve this important structure as a symbol of North Ridge and as a key part of Alexandria's history.