The Old Town North Alliance is committed to developing an Arts and Cultural District Walk as suggested in the Old Town North Small Area Plan adopted in 2017.  We commissioned an Arts Walk plan from Winstanley Architects, and have been working to implement this plan.  In early 2024 we released the initial Old Town North Alliance Art and Culture Walk brochure, which identifies individual art works visible in Old Town North, along with a walking tour map, and identifies sites for future art installations the Old Town North Alliance will be working to obtain. In 2025, the Alliance released an updated brochure reflecting new art installations along the walk route. We plan to continue with annual releases featuring new works installed in the previous year.

Cloud Bar and Hotel AKA (D)

Hotel AKA Alexandria opened in 2023 after an impressive renovation of an existing hotel building.  AKA’s ground floor is imbued with art – from the award winning interiors by Piero Lissoni, to the unusual sculptures and paintings in its lounge, to the spectacular Cloud Bar designed by Frank Gehry, there is a lot to look at!  Produced by Belux with Kreon Lighting, Gehry’s mamacloud floats above the a.lounge bar, bringing the unpredictable nature of a cloud into an architectural environment. Lissoni won Interior Design’s Best Domestic Hotel Transformation for Hotel AKA Alexandria.

For more information: https://www.stayaka.com/hotel-aka-alexandria/design

Arizona Needle (12)

This striking bronze sculpture by artist Tom Faulkner was inspired by the deserts of Arizona, “echo[ing] the volcanic rock formations which rise up from the earth in improbable arrangements, somehow finding balance along the way.” Arizona Needle was installed by The Oronoco Condo Association to pay homage to the history of the building as a home to the Sheet Metal Workers Union Pension Fund prior to its renovation into condominiums.

Break Water (1a)

Break Water is a temporary art installation on display at Waterfront Park through November 2025 as part of the City of Alexandria’s Site See: New Views in Old Town series. In this work, artist Nekisha Durrett pays tribute to the “creativity and enduring spirit of Alexandria’s Black community.”

Stories of OTN Art

Stormwater Covers (see map)

These six beautiful designs evocative of the character of Old Town North, were produced by three artists selected through a competitive process by the City of Alexandria Public Art Project.  The Old Town North Alliance approached the City’s Office of the Arts in 2019 for a public art project that would be relatively low-cost and easy to realize, putting Old Town North “on the map” as an Arts District.  Two members of the Old Town North Alliance Board of Directors, Carolyn Griffin and Ryan Whitaker, served as members of an advisory group that went through a public process to identify and contract with artists and eventually proceed to manufacturing and installation of 30 “stormwater covers” or manhole covers as they are known in other cities. The installation was completed in the fall of 2023.

Promenade Classique (21)

Promenade Classique forms the identity of the Canal Center office complex, and is the work of landscape architect Paul Friedberg and artists Anne and Patrick Poirier.  The Poiriers’ work is imbued with classical sculpture, architecture, and myth.  Washington Post architecture critic Benjamin Forgey labeled the work “apt if edgy classical symbolism” in his 1986 article.  A notable feature is the way the design leads the pedestrian from the central plaza to the edge of the Potomac River, ending at an obelisk reminiscent of the Washington Monument, taking advantage of a 20-foot drop in the site.

City Sweep (B)

Artist Bernard Collin shows the sweep of Alexandria’s (and Northern Virginia’s) history with individual miniatures of famous places such as Mount Vernon, the Friendship Firehouse, and traditional Old Town townhouses.  This work was commissioned as part of the development that includes the Kingsley multifamily apartments and a Harris Teeter grocery store.

Good Morning, Star Shine (20)

Artist Patrick Kirwin reflected the history of the site, which was known for the glass factory that operated there until the early 20th century.  He painted a sunrise/sunset as seen through a window of roundels (round blown glass).  Each roundel shows some slight distortion, as would occur in a handmade product.  Kirwin is noted locally for his mural “Dogs of Del Ray” and “Hollyhocks, Flower Garden”.  He is an artist and art teacher at Alexandria’s Art League. This work was commissioned by Carr Companies (now Carr America) as part of the Venue project.

Efflorescence (2a)

This colorful mural on the loading dock door of the Torpedo Factory Art Center “includes abstract design elements interwoven with American Dogwood flowers in a vibrant and colorful composition.” The mural is the work of artist Silas Baker and was commissioned by the Alexandria Public Art Program.

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