Thomas Swann (1765-1840), a prominent Alexandria attorney, originally constructed a two-story Federal style home circa 1800, and in 1832 sold this house to Henry Daingerfield (1800-1866). Daingerfield was an Alexandria shipping magnate, and by 1855 was one of the wealthiest citizens in the city.  

Daingerfield was likely responsible for some of the remodeling that took place over the next 50 years. To the original Swann house, he added an Italianate porch, a first-floor ballroom, a third floor, and a Second Empire mansard roof.

Why would Daingerfield have remodeled a perfectly serviceable Federal-style house in a different style? By the 1830s, there was a revolt against the clean, cold, formal design — the starkness — of the Federal look. This was part of the Romantic movement that abandoned classical architecture to adopt a design inspired by nature and rambling medieval buildings. 

There are few Second Empire beauties, like the Swann-Daingerfield House, in Alexandria,  because this architectural fashion reached its peak during the Civil War (1861 –1865) when the South was a battleground. Old Town is better known for its handsome Federal town houses, such as 512 and 711 Prince Street, which are on today’s Homes Tour.

To bring the Federal and Greek Revival interiors alive, homeowners James and Penny Haybyrne worked with Darryl Carter Studio of Washington, D.C., to create a posh, yet inviting, space by:

• curating the rooms to include a few meaningful things; 

• embracing spare spaces — the antithesis of overdone; and

• choosing subtle patterns on upholstered chairs and plain rugs that do not compete with the room’s architectural features.