Construction underway to remake ‘iconic’ Mount Vernon high school

Before breaking ground on an extensive renovation last weekend, Fairfax County officials and community members took a moment to reflect on the history contained within the walls of Mount Vernon’s original high school.

Located on a 22-acre property that was once part of George Washington’s estate, the main school building was constructed in 1939 under a Public Works Administration program intended to update public school facilities and boost the economy, according to its Virginia Historic Landmarks Register listing .

Opened in 1940 , the school served only white students until it got desegregated in 1965. In addition to serving as an example of the Colonial Revival architectural style that was in vogue during the Great Depression, the school’s expansion to 1,300 students — including former Virginia Gov. Chuck Robb — mirrored the D.C. area’s post-World War II population boom, the listing says.

Over a decade after students relocated to the new Mount Vernon High School in 1973, Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors began leasing the property to the Islamic Saudi Academy, an arrangement that continued until June 2016 .

Now, the county hopes to bring life back to the idling campus at 8333 Richmond Highway with a redevelopment that will extend its legacy as an educational hub.

“This has been here, teaching and reaching students and providing learning for generations,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said in a county-produced video on the Oct. 5 ceremonial groundbreaking. “We need to restore and bring it back to its potential again.”

Approved by the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 26, 2023, the renovation project will transform the Original Mount Vernon High School into a “human development center” with a teen and senior center, early childhood education programs, a business incubator, and workforce training services.

The approximately 140,000-square-foot project, which includes 20,000 square feet of new construction, will also provide space for nonprofit organizations to offer community services, a gymnasium, a library, and a visual and performing arts theater. A geothermal system, rooftop solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations will be installed.

Future phases of development beyond the main, two-story school building are expected, but specific plans are still being crafted, per the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) project page.

Site work by contractor Smoot Construction, including demolitions and utility installations, got underway this summer, but construction has advanced to a new stage with last Saturday’s groundbreaking, according to DPWES.

In a speech at the ceremony, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay highlighted the vision and leadership required to invest in the restoration of “an iconic building” that had begun to deteriorate, while also giving the facility new purpose.

The proposed human development center was shaped by extensive public feedback , he said. County staff have held regular meetings with residents and other community members since 2020, according to a county press release.

“It really is a team effort,” McKay said in his speech. “… You’re looking at several billion dollars — billion dollars — of investment in Fairfax County, in this historic Route 1 community for our neighbors and the people who are here today to enjoy and be proud of the community that we live in.”

Construction on the facility, which will have a new name when it reopens, is expected to finish in the summer of 2026.