LLOYD HOUSE

The iconic, historic house at the heart of the Lower School campus

BY MELISSA ULSAKER MAAS ’76

ST. AGNES SCHOOL OPENS IN 1924

In the 1920s, much of the Del Ray area was still pasture and the Lloyd house property was a haven of woods, fields, and an apple orchard. The only Episcopal schools in Alexandria were the Virginia Theological Seminary and Episcopal High School. A group of parents, many of them connected with those schools, felt there was a strong need for a girls school to be opened under church auspices. The charter of the school stated that St. Agnes School was “to be conducted under the auspices of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia, and that its trustees were to be churchmen.” After the school was established and developed financial independence, it was hoped that it would “be merged into the system of church schools in the Diocese of Virginia (Inc.).” In 1944 the school became one of the Church Schools in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.

According to the first board of trustees, “They [the parents] earnestly desire to instill in the minds of those entrusted to their care a reverence for all that is holy, and give such spiritual guidance as wilt make this school worthy of the great name of the church.” The Board of Trustees included the rectors of the three Alexandria churches, the Bishop of Virginia, and the dean of Church Schools, together with the dean of the Theological Seminary and the headmaster of the Episcopal High School, who served as president and vice-president, respectively, of the Board.

Although the old Lloyd estate was already prepared for educational purposes, the house was thoroughly renovated from top to bottom. Looking to the northeast, across the wide valley of the Potomac, the white dome of the Capitol in Washington was visible. The school stood on the hill as a connecting link between the past and the present, while assembling the hopes of the future within its walls.

On August 8, Miss Mary Josephine White was hired as the new principal. Miss White had been the assistant principal at St. Timothy’s School in Catonsville, Md., and a professor of history and English at National Park Seminary in Forest Glen, Md. On September 26, Mrs. MacDonald Douglass was appointed the “directoress of the primary department.” An ad appeared in the Alexandria Gazette announcing the opening of St. Agnes Episcopal School for children, and that boys were being accepted into the lower grades. Miss White held “office hours” throughout August at Christ Church Parish Hall on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. for prospective families wishing to apply for admission. Bus transportation between Alexandria and the school was arranged. The opening tuition was $90 for primary grades, $120 for intermediate grades, and $150 for high school.

A 1920S LLOYD HOUSE CLASSROOM

St. Agnes opened the doors of Lloyd House on September 24, 1924, to 45 students, including one boarding pupil. The new school served students in first through 10th grades and Latin was a required subject. 

In 1931, eighth grade student Dorothy Rust ’34 described the building in a history of the school written by her English class:

“On the first floor is a large hall where the St. Agnes seal hangs on the wall. Opening off from this is a large living room which is separated from a dining room by folding doors. Leading off from the dining room, at a pleasant distance, is a kitchen. The lower grades also have their classrooms on the first floor. On the second floor are the school rooms of the higher grades. There are also quarters for boarders. The third floor is entirely taken up with boarders. From all of the windows at the front of the house a fine view of the Potomac River and the Maryland shore may be seen. The house is surrounded by beautiful old boxwood and many flowers. There is a large playground for the children. At the rear of the school are a tennis court, a basketball court, and a field that is used for baseball and other such sports.”

For the first 14 years, Lloyd House was the sole school building for all the classrooms, offices, a library, and for the boarding department. To accommodate the growing student body, a new wing of classrooms was added to the south side of the building in 1925. Over time the white railing around the windows was removed, the old staircases were declared a fire hazard and replaced, but the high-ceiling rooms with their deep woodwork remained. By 1931, the school was educating 91 students and housing 10 boarders. 

In 1939 the “little red house” was built to provide much-needed classrooms for the youngest students. The campus expanded as Daniel Hall, Macan Hall, McBride Hall, Sinclair Hall, and MacKinnon Hall were added to accommodate the expanding student body. Lloyd House is now home to the Admission, Advancement, and Building and Grounds offices.

In the 1931 history, Amonett Gordon ’34 sweetly and accurately wrote about her “Future Hopes of St. Agnes”— dreams that did come true:

On a hill among the trees stands St. Agnes. Bright shines its future. Located at the threshold of the Nation’s capital, it will become, we hope, of outstanding importance among the girls’ schools of the eastern United States. Nowhere else in the east is there combined a more wonderful natural beauty of location with closeness to such a great center of culture as Washington, with its art galleries, museums, many libraries, and opportunities to hear the best in music. As these advantages become known over the east and south,  more parents may send their daughters to St. Agnes. The enrollment of St. Agnes in a few years time should have passed the three hundred mark. Increased attendance would require the erecting of beautiful new buildings…While training the minds of its students, St. Agnes will not neglect their health and strength. A fine new gymnasium may be erected… St. Agnes students will, we hope, have the advantages of a very complete library containing hundreds of books. Then St. Agnes will count to her credit women who are capable of taking their part in affairs of the world. Well rounded characters will be developed in this environment of learning.

It has been 147 years since Richard Lloyd and his family walked through the doors of their new home, and it has been 100 years since the first Saints walked through the same doors of the Lloyd House as students. Some things may look different, but the historical importance of the building endures, is preserved amidst learning, joy, and laughter, and perpetuated through the education of thousands of young people.