The National Trust is clueless. Woodlawn Stables has better name recognition and has a greater following than the estate. They are doomed to failure. Soon all that will be left of the Woodlawn name will be a sad shopping center and a little league.

Road improvements should have been looked at and in place long before allowing the congestion into this area. We have invited everyone to come on over with no consideration for the impact it would cause to this area, our neighborhoods, and our family businesses.

It will be sad to see Woodlawn Stables, our history, be shoved out for road improvements that should have been done long ago. Money is the at the core. I wish W. S. the very best.

How can the Trust say they want to be good stewards of the land and the buildings for historic purposes if the stables aren't used as stables? I just don't understand their reasoning.

wow - I will never support the Nation Historic Preservation Trust or wood lawn again!!

Looking only at the economics of the situation, which the Nation Trust seems to be, do they not realize that the Mount Vernon area is number one in the Northern Virginia area for philanthropy and volunteerism and the community supports the retention of Woodlawn Stables. If the community is sincere in its desire to retain Woodlawn Stables, they will be retained.

Who does the National Trust expect to support Woodlawn after this? The out of town tourists are the ones who go to Mount Vernon. It has always been the locals supporting Woodlawn. But maybe not after this. The Mount Vernon community shouldn't have to lose the property and the barn for a road.

How better to keep the spirit of Mount Vernon and Woodlawn than with horses? For 25 years, I've enjoyed the rural feel of driving past Woodlawn Stables. It gives me a sense of connection to the history of the area. is there more to the National Trust's decision than we're being told? Bad move!!

Sad. Too bad the Trust cannot see the value of Woodlawn Stables. Their support of the Stables could have been a positive for them in the community.

I am very sad to hear of this decision. The community needs to step up and make their telephone calls to the right people that will allow Woodlawn Stables to stay. I agree with Brian Palazzolo and believe there is more to the National Trust's decision that we're being told?
C. Lindsey

The Trust should be ashamed of themselves, go up that hill and look at what a shambles that the property they are fostering is in, the house is falling down, the gardens are full of weeds - the once beautiful view is obstructed by trees and it's a ghost town. On the other hand, go over to the stables - it's not fancy but the place is immaculate - the land is cared for, the buildings are in use, the fences are up and it's teeming with people- Woodlawn Stables cares more about the history of that land then the National Trust ever has. They can sit up on that hill behind their fancy name and think that they are above it all but they have lost the hearts and minds of many people in their own backyard.

I am floored. National Trust is ignoring the fact that the stables are historic as well. I am rethinking my support of Woodlawn, their needlework show, and other events which rely on local support.

So how soon will we see the trust sell the property for townhomes and strip malls? I will never support this spineless and non-community-based organization. So much for its slogan of "enriching the future." Alexandria, you just lost a huge asset and it will never come back. Not just Woodlawn stables - a vibrant and woman-owned small business serving many more people than ever drive into Woodlawn Plantation - but you are losing a major part of your historic surroundings, open space, environmental beauty and so much more. The trust may feel it won, but it lost forever any semblance of honesty and dignity. I am being kind.

I just left this comment on the NTHP website:
The Trust has lost my trust over this, and has also lost my membership. I've been a Woodlawn area resident for decades; Woodlawn was one of the first historic houses I visited; I've been a member of the NTHP for over 20 years. But I also grew up seeing horses in the meadows of Woodlawn, and after I had children I became a "stable parent" whose daughter rode and worked at Woodlawn Stables for more than 10 years.
Woodlawn stables became part of our life in the community in a way that Woodlawn house never did. During all those years no one from the house ever contacted my daughter, which was a tremendous community-building opportunity that the staff of Woodlawn missed.
The fact that the NTHP, which fights to preserve viewsheds, is willing to destroy a vital community institution so they can put up a restaurant is just incomprehensible to me.

This should be the top story for all the patch outlets south of Old Town, as in fort hunt, Huntington belle haven, etc. this is much broader than just mount Vernon and the hundreds who came out to support the stables hail from all over Alexandria and northern Virginia. My Huntington belle haven patch email this morning had open houses as the top story. Really??

This is shameful and heartbreaking. The experiences I've had at Woodlawn Stables for the past twelve years have been reflected through the community in a way that is very rare in this day and age. We need to preserve places like these, not destroy them. The effect of this decision will be widespread and devastating, and apparently the trust is unable to understand that.

You have decided to destroy a beautiful piece of property FOR A ROAD? Is this the best the brains of this decision can come up with? Fort Belvoir has a huge amount of property. Surely someone can see the wisdom in using a small parcel of it along with property from .Woodlawn mansion which is right across the street. You can't even see it from Rt 1 when tourist season is in full swing because the foliage blocks the view.....If you pace the road closer to the mansion,it will surely attract out of the area tourist and locals who are either unaware of it or have forgotten it is there..Making Woodlawn mansion more visible from the road will add to the beauty of that area and preserve the stable..and I'm sure that there will be enough people willing to support that idea..Where are our politicians now? They need to support Woodlawn Stables,not destroy it.

This makes me sick. You can't say that the Trust doesn't know what it's destroying after all the support Woodlawn Stables has received over just the past few months. You can't tell me it really cares about the historic sites it's preserving when it is destroying Woodlawn Stables which has attracted attention to the Woodlawn Plantation and the surrounding area for decades. You can't tell me it's just trying to do its part to ease traffic since we all know that the government was willing to relocate Woodlawn Stables on its current property so that both the stables and the road construction could continue. The only thing the Trust cares about is money, and it makes me sick that such a miserly, hypocritical organization, supposedly devoted to the preservation of historic sites for the direct benefit of the community, will be responsible for the destruction of our most valuable community asset. I hope the Trust realizes how many human lives it is disrupting by destroying Woodlawn Stables and just how many equine lives it will likely end prematurely. I have never been so proud to be a part of the Woodlawn Stables community as I am right now.

Isn't this old news? I thought that the trust signaled its intention to not renew the lease years ago when it entered into the arrangement with Arcadia to begin farming various parts of Woodlawn.

Shame, Shame, Shame. I will never visit Woodlawn Plantation or support the NTHP after this greedy and misguided decision, and I will urge others to follow suit. In one word, their actions: disgusting. Christine Washington

I am sad to be reading this story. My husband is Active Duty Air Force and our family was stationed at Fort Belvoir. I entered into my riding training again after 14 years of being out of horses/not owning. I learned so much at Woodlawn and this is such a wonderful barn with amazing people. There are so few other areas close for riding and it is a very affordable riding program compared to others in the area. It is good for children and good for the military community nearby who may also be interested in horses and learning to ride. They truly foster good horsmanship and I will be very sad to hear if Woodlawn closes. The community does support this program and I for one know many, many people that would be so disappointed if this great program were to close.