Portside in Old Town

Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies

Late March to November 2020

Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies by Olalekan Jeyifous is the second in the Site See: New Views in Old Town annual temporary public art series. Jeyifous’ concept, which will be on display late March to November 2020, frames Alexandria’s African American history through the lens of the city’s industrial and merchant history from the 17th to 20th centuries. Once a prosperous port city that was home to one of the largest domestic slave trading firms in the country, Alexandria was a major center for shipping and manufacturing with an economy inextricably tied to the work of enslaved and free African Americans. Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies seeks to stitch Alexandria’s story together, featuring symbols that represent Alexandria’s merchant and manufacturing history, including factories, tobacco warehouses and railways.

Expanded Waterfront Park

The expanded new Waterfront Park at the foot of King Street seamlessly connects Old Town’s historic retail corridor with the water. Visitors can enjoy four distinct areas—an open plaza, a waterfront promenade, shade structures and a modular space that can adapt to different purposes throughout the year. The park, which is adjoined to the original Waterfront Park, is designed for ongoing enjoyment and special activations and events.

Tall Ship Providence

Alexandria recently welcomed a new maritime history experience to the Old Town Alexandria waterfront. The tall ship Providence arrived in the summer of 2019 and opens as a permanent attraction in 2020. This celebrity tall ship, which has appeared in the international blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean, is a full-scale reproduction of one of the most renowned ships in the Continental Navy. Tours include family pirate cruises, adult pirate cruises, craft beer cruises and occasional evening cruises.

Torpedo Factory Art Center

Discover art in person and in progress at the nation’s largest collection of working artists’ open studios under one roof. A fully operational munitions plant during WWII, the Torpedo Factory Art Center is now home to 82 artists’ studios, seven galleries, the Alexandria Archaeology Museum and The Art League.