One family has kept the same home for decades in Alexandria — and now the historic site, which serves as a rooming house for low-income residents, is getting a much-needed makeover.
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Janice Lee Howard, 80, is the current owner of the home in the 1000 block of Pendleton Street known as the Pendleton Rooming House. The building has served as more than just affordable shelter for the Black community.
“As Black Americans, even in Alexandria, it was places that we couldn’t even go. It was sections of Alexandria that Blacks did not travel through,” historian Stephanie Johnson said.
Howard’s family has owned the mixed-use building for more than a century.
“Ten rooming houses, and then there’s a kitchen and a sitting room, and a sitting room on the first level. Many bathrooms,” Howard said.
In addition to providing rooms for rent to people in need of an affordable place to stay, the building has been used in many ways over the years. It has housed businesses, including a bakery owned by Howard’s grandfather.
During segregation, it also provided lodging for Black people visiting the area.
Among those who stayed there were Elijah Muhammad, the founder of the Nation of Islam. The building also hosted famous musicians, NAACP meetings and other community gatherings.
“They believed that we have to help each other,” Howard said.
With help from a federal grant, workers began renovating the Pendleton Rooming House in April 2025. The project is expected to be completed in October.
“Installation of geothermal, the addition of safety and accessibility improvements, and the restoration of the former commercial space along Henry Street, are made possible through support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the offices of U.S. Rep. Don Beyer and U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine,” according to the City of Alexandria.
“There’s so many people in Alexandria who cannot afford to live in Alexandria,” Howard said.
Some of the rooms are priced at $800 in an area where a one-bedroom apartment can rent for more than $2,000. Previous tenants are expected to return once the renovation is complete this fall.
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