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Alexandria Floral Company Demolished
11/16/2006
Yesterday I biked over to my mom's office in Old Town to discover one of my favorite buildings in Alexandria had been demolished. Where once stood the Alexandria Floral Company at 620 Prince Street and Daingerfield there was now an ugly pit being chewed over by a bulldozer. I was really a bit shocked. No warning or public notice, just gone after being in the community since 1931. It was a fine art deco structure and one of the best examples of that style in the area.
What shocked me wasn't so much the building destruction but rather the dark realization that so much of what I've always loved about Old Town is quickly disappearing. The WW I tank that sat at the train station. The once un-fenced lawn of the Masonic Temple. The innumerable quaint touches and buildings that have yielded to bland condos, generic office space, and chain stores. An epiphany that it was up for grabs and nothing was going to stop it. If a building with as much history and appeal as the Alexandria Floral Co. could be demolished for a PARKING LOT, then it wouldn't be long before a great deal more would be repaved with Wall Mart-aesthetics.
I suddenly felt that Old Town had past a tipping point where overdevelopment and high prices had really soured the neighborhood for me. It's sad, but I consider its best days are behind it. Perhaps I'm genuinely ready to leave this area now...
Pictures of Alexandria Floral Company
I don't have much. One picture, an ariel from Google Earth and their old Yellow pages ad.
Their old Yellow Pages Ad
11/16/2006 | Permanent Link
