Thirty-seven members of the Lee family called 614 Oronoco Street home, and the Lee–Fendall House now welcomes you. Built in 1785 on its original half-acre lot, this vernacular "telescopic style" house — a type common in Maryland but rare in northern Virginia — has worn many lives. From 1785 to 1903 thirty-seven members of the Lee family called this place home.
In 1850 the house was renovated, the work adding Greek Revival and Italianate elements to the original structure. During the Civil War years, from 1863 to 1865, hundreds of convalescing Union soldiers occupied rooms here; later the Downham family lived here from 1903 to 1937, and the family of labor leader John L. Lewis from 1937 to 1969. Enslaved and free servants also labored and lived on this property across its long history.
Today the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation owns and operates the site as the Lee–Fendall House Museum and Garden, open for exhibits, tours, and special programs. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, on the Virginia Landmarks Register, and contributes to the National Historic Landmark District of Alexandria. The garden and the original half-acre lot still belong to the house, as they have since 1785.