What kind of living space can you buy for $999,999 in Alexandria?

Melinda Martinez, Alexandria Town Talk
·4 min read

What can $999,999 buy in Alexandria? A luxurious residential loft in a converted industrial warehouse at 1611 Washington Street.

Jim and Frances Hurst recently listed their loft, which is located in a commercially zone area, for sale with The George Group.

It has over 6,000 square feet of living space with three bedrooms and two full baths in the main living area on the second floor. It features an open floor plan, high ceilings and with large windows.

The first floor has over 10,000 square feet with an atrium, a “man cave,” garage and ample workshop space. It also has a freight elevator and a walk-in safe.

“They have been generous over the years allowing it to be used for charity events,” said realtor Heather Wise. One of the more popular events they’ve hosted was A-Town Jazz.

“They said you can comfortably fit 250 people in the loft,” said Wise.

The area known as the atrium has a remote-controlled skylight that can be opened to get fresh air.

The Hurst Loft has over 6,000 square feet of living space with three bedrooms and two full baths on the second floor. It features an open floor plan, high ceilings along with large windows.
The Hurst Loft has over 6,000 square feet of living space with three bedrooms and two full baths on the second floor. It features an open floor plan, high ceilings along with large windows.

There is also a pulley system in place to hoist things up such as the two pianos that are in the main living area.

The original building dates back to the 1940s when it was McCann’s Hardware, said Frances. Around 2006, Jim saw that the building was for sale. Jim is a contemporary artist and always wanted to build something like this and he saw his opportunity.

“We had lived in another house for probably 30 years and we were ready for a change. So, this was a big change,” she said.

The wood floors, the brick walls and all the metal supporting structures are original to the building.

“We only had four brick walls,” said Frances. “We added all the exposed ductwork, the tin ceiling, the valence lighting.”

Jim designed the lights on top of the metal columns he had made that are seen throughout the loft.

“The kind of art deco glass pieces at the base of each came from old fluorescent light fixtures we found in the building,” said Frances. 

“A lot of things we repurposed. The sink table in the master bathroom is a chemistry lab table. You can still see the places where the gas jets were put in,” she said.

The Hurst loft is in a commercially zone area located at 1611 Washington Street in Alexandria and belongs to Jim Hurst, a contemporary artist, and his wife Frances who have listed for sale with the The George Group.
The Hurst loft is in a commercially zone area located at 1611 Washington Street in Alexandria and belongs to Jim Hurst, a contemporary artist, and his wife Frances who have listed for sale with the The George Group.

The vanity in the guest bathroom is an old piece of furniture made of solid walnut that was left in the building.

“Several pieces of furniture are antiques we already owned, some from my mother. Other pieces are cast offs from friends,” said Frances.

Jim also poured the concrete countertops and sink in the kitchen, she said. He also made the steel dining room table, the pottery cabinet and coffee tables.

He also built the bed in the master bedroom. Frances silver leafed the headboard.

“A lot of things we repurposed. The sink table in the master bathroom is a chemistry lab table. You can still see the places where the gas jets were put in,” she said.

Jim also created the hardware on the kitchen cabinets from iron pour at River Oaks Arts Center. All are handmade, she added.

“All the doors that are in the master bedroom and bathroom were doors that were left in the building. We re-used all those,” she said. “The cypress doors, he and some carpenters made.”

They made all the crown molding, door trim and baseboards and refinished the floors themselves.

The vanity in the master bathroom of the Hurst Loft is a repurposed chemistry lab table. "You can still see the places where the gas jets were put in,” said Frances Hurst.
The vanity in the master bathroom of the Hurst Loft is a repurposed chemistry lab table. "You can still see the places where the gas jets were put in,” said Frances Hurst.

“I did the décor - colors, window treatments, chair slipcovers, etc. and furniture placement,” said Frances. “We did a lot. Most of the painting I did.”

The artistic fence surrounding the yard and gates on the first floor are repurposed metal that came from Dis-Tran Steel, LLC. It’s the leftover metal from metal sheets that were used cut out what they needed.

"He repurposed them into fences. It’s very aristic looking,” said Wise.

“To me two of the most distinct features are the outside fencing and the outside color,” said Frances. "The paint color is Babbling Brook. It changes with the light. Sometimes bluer, or greener or grayer. I love it."

The Hursts are selling the loft and moving to Covington to be closer to their son and his family.

“Plus, we’re ready for a smaller space. It’s too hard for up to keep up up now that we’re old,” she said.

For more information about the loft, contact Heather Wise at Heather@GeorgeRE.com or call (888) 548-7853.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: What kind of living space can you buy for $999,999 in Alexandria?