By Kim Davis

Resting high atop a hill in Alexandria’s North Ridge neighborhood stands a historic landmark with a cherished and storied past.

The elegant manor home was affectionately named Mount Ida by Charles Alexander Jr., who owned the property when the home was completed in circa 1806. Charles Jr. was a descendant of John Alexander, the Scotsman for whom our city is named.

According to the book “North Ridge Lore,” a collection of historical stories about the Alexandria community written by members of the North Ridge Citizens’ Association, the property was named for the highest peak in Asia Minor, a place of worship for “The Great Mother of the Gods” or “Mater Idaea.”

Others contend it is named for the highest point on the Greek island of Crete. The Catholic Sisters who once occupied the home believed the origins were founded in Turkish history, where the Gods watched the Battle of Troy. The name’s origin remains a mystery.

The history

Arlington Historical Society records reveal the King of England granted the original land patent to professional seaman Robert Howson in 1669. Later that year, John Alexander purchased the patent. He never resided on the property, as he maintained a home in the City of Alexandria.

Several generations later, the property passed into the possession of Charles Alexander, who was born in 1737. Fairfax County Land Tax Books of 1795 listed Charles Alexander as the owner of 1,848 acres of land. His final personal property tax listing is dated 1800, with his death recorded as 1801.

Charles Alexander’s son, Charles Alexander Jr., inherited the large tracts of land. He built Mount Ida for his family and developed a portion of the land for farming. It’s now recognized as one of the area’s oldest surviving examples of early 19th-century architecture, characterized by symmetrical design, elegant brickwork and refined interior detailing.

The original structure of the quintessential federal-style home has been meticulously preserved through the years, with each owner adding their own imprint. The interior woodwork features stunning decorative flourishes, impressive fireplace surrounds and period details.

Charles Alexander Jr. was a prominent local figure whose contributions to the community helped shape the city during its formative years.

Mount Ida’s ‘Who’s Who’

Mount Ida’s owners constitute a virtual Who’s Who of Alexandria. In 1800, Charles Alexander Jr. married Mary Bowles Armistead from an established Virginia family. He resided in the manor until his death in 1814 and bequeathed the estate to his eldest son, Charles Armistead Alexander.

Armistead Alexander later sold Mount Ida to his mother, and sister Eliza A. Selden. A few months later, another prominent Alexandria family, the Lloyds, became linked with Mount Ida when Eliza married John Janney Lloyd. Less than a year later, Mary Bowles died, and the property passed into the hands of the Lloyd family.

According to family history, Mount Ida survived the Civil War unscathed, thanks to family friend President Abraham Lincoln. A descendant of John Lloyd, Rebecca Lloyd Smoot Harbury, said the story about Lincoln’s role in providing federal military protection during the war has been passed down through the generations. A 19th-century Charles Magnus print of the home shows a small Union Army camp in front of Mount Ida, which would appear to affirm this connection.

After the war, a portion of the land was sold. Following the deaths of Eliza in 1870 and John Janney Lloyd in 1871, the surviving children inherited the property.

In 1876, another Alexander daughter, Nellie Selden Lloyd, married a gentleman named George Uhler. The couple resided in Old Town during the winters, spending the summers at Mount Ida to enjoy the cool breezes on the ridge.

A deed filed in the Arlington Court House in 1907 revealed the four surviving Lloyd children divided the remaining 200 acres of the John J. Lloyd Estate. The following year, they sold 150 acres – including the house – to James S. Groves, a real estate developer. The 21 acres surrounding Mount Ida remained intact under the ownership of Groves and the following owner, Richard Blackburn Washington.

Mount Ida in the 20th century

Mount Ida’s surrounding farmland went through a series of divisions and subdivisions during the early 20th century. The surrounding land began to be developed into suburban residential neighborhoods, evolving into the area now known as North Ridge.

In 1926, Richard Washington sold Mount Ida to Floyd Wilson King, who remained the owner until 1942, when the house and nine acres were sold to the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who built St. Mary’s Academy, a private Catholic school for girls. The Sisters owned and operated Mount Ida as a convent for 15 nuns who taught at St. Mary’s from 1942 to 1990, when the school merged with Bishop Ireton High School. St. Mary’s was sold to Alexandria Country Day School in 1990, and has been renovated and enlarged several times since then.

The Sisters of the Holy Cross sold six surrounding acres to Oakton Builders in 1994. The developer constructed nine Georgian-style homes on the new Charles Alexander Court cul-de-sac.

The evolving manor

Visitors to Mount Ida step into a large, welcoming entry hall beautifully appointed and filled with antique furnishings and art. Previous owners believe the front section of the house encompassing the entrance, living and dining rooms were not original to the house and may have been added after Alexander died.

To the left of the entrance is a large, stately dining room featuring the original fireplace embellished with architectural flourishes. It does not take much to imagine the many social gatherings and banter that took place around the stately table. Adjacent to the dining room is a generously sized kitchen. The original kitchen was a separate building, common in the day to prevent kitchen fires from enveloping the entire home.

Of historical note, to the right of the entry hall is the living room. When the Sisters resided in the home, the church removed historic embellished art on a wall above the door in order to create a simple, unadorned room in which the nuns could practice prayer.

Since 1990, Mount Ida has been owned by three private families, who have taken great pride in maintaining the manse. After the Sisters departed, the first private family to occupy the manor began a number of necessary renovations. The couple revamped a first-floor bedroom in the rear of the home, once thought to have been a carriage house. Second-floor bedrooms subdivided into 15 small rooms during the Sisters’ stay were restored to the home’s original 20-by-22-foot size rooms.

Other renovations included renovating the master bedroom and enlarging its bath, remodeling a sitting room, converting a washroom used by the nuns into a two-car garage and recreating a dilapidated 1928-era gazebo. The family sold the home in 1997, and the house stood vacant for more than a year.

The next family to reside at Mount Ida during this period was a distant relative of the Washingtons. Inhabiting the space from 1998 to 2019, the couple executed several necessary restorations. An exterior kitchen wall was widened by eight feet, providing additional space. The aging front porch required significant repairs, necessitating the replacement of damaged wooden stairs with durable brick and slate. New architectural railings were installed around the top of the porch, and damaged plaster was repaired as needed.

The family’s commitment to ensuring the safety and soundness of construction details entailed the obvious and the obscure, including the installation of stainless steel sleeves in fireplaces. The owner noted the mortar in the old fireplaces, which in the early days consisted of a mixture of limestone and sand, eventually disintegrated and had to be repointed.

The current owners, Brad and Mary Gambill, have occupied Mount Ida since 2020 and have continued a tradition of meticulous updates, creating their own unique space in keeping with their taste. Upon purchasing the estate, the couple began a series of updates reflecting their personal style while honoring and maintaining Mount Ida’s historic bones.

The Gambills took a slightly more modern and eclectic approach to updating Ida’s style, removing dated wallpaper and replacing it with soft, neutral gray paint, which serves as a backdrop to highlight their collection of dramatic art and antiques. Embellishments include the installation of a coffered ceiling in the family room, replacing existing standard lighting throughout the house with historically appropriate fixtures and updating the second-floor master bath.

Adjacent to the living room is a beautifully designed and renovated family room with coffered ceilings and antique Asian furnishings acquired from the owners’ travels. In addition, the first floor features an inviting library, a tastefully remodeled powder room, a functional butler’s pantry and a stylish guest room.

During their time living and working in Asia, the Gambills collected art and antiques from Vietnam and North and South Korea. The unusual pieces add visual interest throughout the historic home and are filled with memories of their adventures abroad. Several large antique Asian red cabinets create a powerful presence on the first floor.

The living room contains a Chinese antique opium coffee table resting in front of a camelback sofa flanked by federal-style chairs, a surprisingly interesting combination of décor that works together beautifully in the historic home. A dramatic Vietnamese painting of ballerinas in soft blue tutus provides a stunningly powerful focal point above the mantle.

The Gambills are also planning another complete renovation of the kitchen.

The 216-year-old Mount Ida continues to stand the test of time, thanks to her loving and committed inhabitants. She has endured generations of families and change while perched on a beloved hill in North Ridge. As she continues to overlook Alexandria and the Potomac, Mount Ida is an enduring icon of Alexandria’s rich colonial history. May she continue to remind us of our rich heritage while owners continue to love and reinvent her for each new generation.

The writer is a member of the Hunting Creek Garden Club and formerly served as both president and vice president of the club.