This historic building, now home to Virtue Feed & Grain, was once used as a feed house in the 1800s. Bordering Wales Alley, its surrounding area is shrouded with coincidental signs that the project was meant to be: A former Alexandria Mayor and Irishman, John Fitzgerald, shared ownership of the alley where beer was sold as early as 1786. It was later named for Andrew Wales, the owner of the brewery.
Dublin native, Chef Cathal Armstrong, his wife, Meshelle, and partners Maria Chicas and Todd Thrasher—the restaurateurs behind the celebrated Restaurant Eve—believe strongly in fate; when the group saw remnants of the building’s original sign, Walter Robert’s Hay, Grain, Flour and Feed,“We took all the signs as a good omen and never looked back.”
In keeping with the unique history of the building and alley, the partnership knew they must preserve the building’s authenticity. They called upon the best local artisans, builders and craftsmen to restore and reinvent the old warehouse, which was left to the mercy of time.
Bricks removed to create the expansive windows were reused throughout the space to create the pillars and dividing wall. The original concrete floor was carefully ground and polished to preserve history’s footprints. The walls, hand-crafted dining tabletops, and bar shelves were all constructed with period wood, each heralding from a unique past :
The upstairs flooring material came from an old oak barn in the Wisconsin Dells, dating from the pre-Civil War era. The wall boards that wrap the non-brick walls in Virtue’s interior were found in a Victorian era Amish barn in Sturgeon Bay, WI, built in 1885. The old Seaport Restaurant (now Starbucks on King and Union Street) supplied the large ceiling beam that supports the cubist painting. Wired, wavy, glass panes previously abandoned from a pre-WWII military supply reserve located on the Delaware Valley in Philadelphia have been refurbished to fabricate both bars. The wood on the dining tables was pulled, planed and sealed from stair treads of the previous tenants—the beloved Old Town bookstore, Olsson’s Books and Records.
Not only have remains of the early past been saved, signs of more recent years are marked in the high-water stain on the downstairs floor beams, preserved to remember the impact of Hurricane Isabel in 2003. (Go see how high it was!)
The restaurateurs’ mantra of local and sustainable extends beyond the menu. In reusing recycled materials from abandoned structures, the goal in developing Virtue Feed & Grain was to remain authentic to the original structure, benefiting both the architectural and ecological environment.
“Our plan was to bring the old warehouse about full circle; to re-establish the building and feed the people. The name ‘Virtue’ emerged from the hopeful intentions of those who thoughtfully restored and reclaimed a piece of history.”
Photos of the Before
Virtual Tours of the Building Renovation
These virtual tours were taken during the renovation process.
