The famous Rosslyn garage where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met with his confidential source “Deep Throat” (FBI official Mark Felt) during the Watergate investigation is slated for possible demolition and redevelopment. Here is Preservation Arlington’s statement about the garage:

Deep Throat and its role in the Watergate scandal is clearly the catalyst for this preservation debate. There is no question that the major historic significance of this site lies in the events that took place in the parking garage. But there are multiple stories at play here.

The International Style buildings that stand above the garage may not be extraordinary in their own right, but local and federal preservation concerns are not limited to historic fabric. Buildings and landscapes don’t exist in a vacuum; Manassas Battlefield is a national historic site because of what happened there, not because it’s a pretty field.

The fact that the existing office buildings are representative of Arlington’s commercial landscape in the 1960s and 1970s, in this case, just helps to tell this complex story. Preservation Arlington will continue to monitor this proposal and weigh in on possible preservation opportunities.

*** Please direct media inquiries to preservationarlington@gmail.com. ***