Gadsby's Tavern occupies 134 and 138 North Royal Street at the corner of Cameron Street in Old Town Alexandria: a c.1785 tavern, the 1792 City Tavern and Hotel, and an 1878 hotel addition tacked on later. This place preserves a c.1785 tavern alongside the 1792 City Tavern and Hotel, with an 1878 hotel addition tacked on as the city grew. For decades these rooms were at the center of Alexandria’s social, economic, political, and educational life.
John Gadsby himself leased and operated the buildings from 1796 to 1808, and his name has stuck to the site ever since. Today the complex still breathes public life: you’ll find Gadsby's Tavern Restaurant serving a mixture of period and modern foods right in the original 1792 City Tavern dining room; the American Legion Post 24 has a presence here; and the Gadsby's Tavern Museum interprets early American life in Virginia with exhibits that fill the historic rooms. The site’s national significance was recognized in 1963 when it became a National Historic Landmark and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Picture the dining room at 134 and 138 North Royal, still setting tables where Gadsby once hosted the city's business.