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.  Several art installations have occurred since adoption of the Small Area Plan, supplementing those that were placed by individual property owners in prior years.  In early 2024 we released the initial Walking Tour brochure that identifies individual art works visible in Old Town North, along with a walking tour map and a list of future art installations the Old Town North Alliance will be working to obtain.

Cloud Bar and AKA Hotel (20)

Hotel AKA Alexandria opened in 2023 after an impressive renovation of an existing hotel building.  AKA has made sure its 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!  Lissoni won Interior Design’s Best Domestic Hotel Transformation for Hotel AKA Alexandria.  

Other noteworthy pieces include:

• A double-height sculptural staircase (lobby) – signature feature of Piero Lissoni

• Dividing screens in the a.lounge - Antonio Murado, the artist who created the beautiful dividing screens in a.lounge, was inspired by Japanese gardens of gravel and stones, as well as the Zen aesthetic of immediacy, austerity, and identification. The linen panels of the screens were prepared lying flat, like the surface of a field. Oil was poured over white gesso and distributed with one stroke of a long spatula knife. The liquid paint filters through, revealing the imperfect nature of its hand brush work and the natural texture of the raw linen.

• Mama Cloud - designed by Frank Gehry, floats above the a.lounge bar. Produced by Belux with Kreon Lighting, Mamacloud brings the unpredictable nature of a cloud into an architectural environment.

• Mineheart is a company based in London, UK, and their art shown in the hotel is based on the quote, "Don't take life too seriously".  Works include

• The Orange Pencil

• Animal portraits seen across the lobby

• Formworks studio, based in Wales, UK, was founded by Jon Llewlyn. His inspiration is drawn from the bold and geometric styles found in midcentury architecture and furniture design. The Bauhaus movement also became a large influence in his work while studying typographic design in London.

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

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 had 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 (No 5)

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 Poirier’s 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 in addition to the individual sculptural elements 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 (No. 26)

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 (6)

Artist Patrick Kirwin reflected the history of the site, which was known for the glass factory that operated 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.

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