Alexandria History Comes to Life on Small Scale

When Sharon Frazier asked Linwood Smith to build her a dollhouse from a kit she bought in 1994, he agreed -- grudgingly. Smith had put one together for a neighbor once and wasn’t keen on the new project.

“I said I would never do another dollhouse kit.” he said. But once that dollhouse was finished, Smith was hooked.

“He did that one kit, and then he said, ‘We might as well do a town,’ ” Frazier said.

Frazier and Smith, friends since attending Parker Gray High School, are displaying dozens of miniature homes, rooms and local landmarks in a new exhibit, “Our Alexandria: African American Dollhouses,” at the Alexandria Black History Museum. Real places in Alexandria inspired many of the works.

Smith, a retired mechanic with the city of Alexandria, builds the exteriors, while Frazier, a retired nurse with the city, decorates the interiors. Many were birthday gifts from Smith to Frazier. What inspires him, Patch asked?

“Just the satisfaction of giving her something she likes,’ he said.

“I think he’s grown to like it very much,” Frazier said.

Frazier and Smith pay close attention to detail. In making a replica of Carver Nursery School, Smith carved each white-painted shingle for the exterior.

The current exhibition features new works including the Robert Robinson Library and Hayden's Photographic Studio. Other, earlier pieces on display include a barbershop and hair dressing salon, a medical building, an attorney’s office and a florist. The miniature structures are patterned after actual businesses in the Parker-Gray community, a historically black neighborhood in Alexandria.

Smith’s favorite piece is the old-fashioned gas station, while Frazer has a hard time picking just one.

“I don’t know. I like so many, because they mean so much,” she said. Then, pointing to a nearby stone house, noted, “He picked up all those rocks to put that together.” But she also is fond of a little red schoolhouse.

Frankie Lyles of Old Town was one local resident who stopped by the exhibit’s grand opening Thursday night. As a surprise, she found that Frazier and Smith had re-created Angie’s Doll Boutique, where Lyles was co-owner.

The King Street shop, which operated for 28 years, closed its doors five years ago. The miniature version included tiny doll parts, lace curtains and a doll representing Lyles herself.

“She did a beautiful job,” Lyles said.

Frazier said she can’t say whether she and Smith have plans to stop creating miniature houses anytime soon.

“I keep telling him I’m quitting,” she said. “He keeps telling me he’s quitting, and then he makes one more. That’s how we are. … It’s still fun.”

The exhibition runs from February 9 through May 1 at the museum, located at 902 Wythe St. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.