Spite Houses of Alexandria: Four—Count ‘Em

Builders built “spite houses” quickly to take advantage of loopholes in local laws, as well as address flaws in urban planning until the early 20th century. Alexandria, Virginia, is unusual because it has four spite houses. Those who built them found that revenge is expensive. Today, building a fence or wall is more cost-effective.

Alexandria’s oldest spite house, built in 1812, is at 205 King Street. It is spacious at 11 feet 9 inches wide. It’s made of brick, with walls over a foot thick. The bricks came from a roadway because wagon wheel gouges are still visible on them. Slate boards from the building’s time as a private school from 1889 to 1895 are still on the walls. It’s now a jewelry store named “She’s Unique” and is the only spite house in the US that is open to the public.

It’s believed that Samuel Janney constructed the 403 Prince Street spite house before 1893. At three stories tall, it measures just 7 feet 9 inches wide by 608 square feet. Janney left the house and adjoining property to his son, Henry, as a rental investment.

A single-story spite house built in the 1890s is at 1401 Prince Street. It is only 8 feet 2 inches wide and is currently part of the building next door, but it is still visible. The builder of the standalone alley house is unknown. 

The Hollensbury Spite House, at 523 Queen Street, is just 7 feet 6 inches wide and 25 feet deep. John Hollensbury built it in 1830. He was tired of loiterers and wagon traffic damaging the walls of his home, so he purchased the alley for $45.65. It abuts the existing walls of neighboring homes. Like 205 King Street, it has wheel gouges in the bricks and had a second life as a school in the late 1800s. The house now features a cozy living room, a galley kitchen, a bedroom, and a small garden patio, all complemented by antique furniture scaled to fit its petite proportions.