Originally published in the June 2023 edition of Greet Del Ray.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, the ridge to the west of Russell Road was dotted with homes of wealthy businessmen and land owners. These homes include the Swann/Calvert family home “Mount Auburn” (for which Auburn Village is named), the Hume family home of “Warwick” (for which Warwick Village is named) and the John Lloyd family home “Mount Ida” (for which the Mount Ida development is named). Of these three houses, only “Mount Ida” remains standing at 305 Charles Alexander Court. More information about “Mount Ida” can be found in Daniel Koski-Karrell's 1993 study of the house, which is available on the City's website.

In the early part of the 20th Century, the heirs of John Lloyd began selling off parcels. In 1908, Mr. James S. Groves began acquiring 150 acres of the Lloyd estate and formed the Mount Ida Realty Company. Groves was the President of the Company, and James R. Caton was the Secretary. The company laid out the Mount Ida development bounded by Russell Road, Del Ray Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue and Forrest Avenue/Holly Street/McArthur Road. The initial 14 blocks of Mount Ida were laid out in early 1909 as the Groves Subdivision. In July 1909, the Mount Ida Realty Company completed the purchase of Lot 3 of the estate from George and Nellie Uhler and began laying out an additional subdivision consisting of blocks 15-17 of Mount Ida (between Uhler and Wyatt Aves.). Many of the original streets were named after the Lloyd family (Lloyd Avenue, Woolfolk Avenue, Alexander Avenue, and Uhler Avenue), but several of these street names were changed after the area was annexed into the City of Alexandria.

Once the plats were approved and filed, the company began selling the lots. During this era, developers sold lots, and the purchasers constructed the home. The original subdivision was sold off and developed first, and development of Blocks 15-17 did not start until the 1920s.