John Hollensbury
Alexandria brickmaker and property owner who in 1830 built the 7-foot-6-inch-wide alley infill known as the 523 Queen Street 523 Queen Street Two-story brick "spite house" 7 feet 6 inches wide, infilling the alley between 521 and 525 Queen Street. Built in 1830 by to block alley loiterers and wagon damage to his … to block loiterers and wagon-wheel hubs from his adjoining Queen Street house.
John Hollensbury appears in early-19th-century Alexandria property records as the owner of 525 Queen Street and the adjacent alley. In 1830 he built a single-pile brick infill across the alley itself — 7 feet 6 inches wide, two stories, today known as the Hollensbury Spite House (523 Queen Street) — to deter loitering and wagon damage to his main house’s exterior. Hollensbury’s life beyond the property record is sparsely documented; the building survives him as Alexandria’s most photographed quirky-architecture entry. [1] Atlas Obscura — Hollensbury Spite House Website
Associated places
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1830–1830
John Hollensbury built the Spite House in 1830 across the alley adjoining his 525 Queen Street house.
Sources
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1.
Atlas Obscura, "Hollensbury Spite House," accessed 2026-05-01, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hollensbury-spite-house.
Website
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