This day in history: How neon signs atop the George Mason Hotel prompted Alexandria's sign ordinance
Just a year after establishing America's third historic district, city officials moved to regulate the growing trend of oversized signage aimed at motorists.
On Jan. 29, 1947, the Alexandria City Council directed that a new ordinance be prepared to regulate public signs throughout the city, according to Historic Alexandria.
The move came just a year after Alexandria established the Old and Historic Alexandria District in 1946, making it the third regulated historic district in the United States after Charleston, South Carolina, and New Orleans’ Vieux Carré.
In the years following World War II, signs across the city began to grow larger to attract the attention of an increasingly motorized population driving through Alexandria on the George Washington Memorial Parkway and other routes.
A prime example stood atop the George Mason Hotel at the corner of Prince and South Washington streets. The six-story Colonial Revival building, designed by architect William Lee Stoddart and opened in the late 1920s, had three neon signs installed on engineered structural frames on its roof by the mid-1930s. The signs pointed toward City Hall and in both directions on Washington Street.
With this trend accelerating, city officials determined it was time to regulate signage to preserve the character of the newly designated historic district.
The George Mason Hotel operated for 45 years before closing in 1971. The building was converted to office space and later housed the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The building has since returned to its original use. Hotel Heron opened in June 2024 following an extensive restoration, transforming the landmark back into a 134-room boutique hotel. The property recently joined Hilton’s Curio Collection.