In February 2015, a total of 16 demolition permits were applied for in Arlington County. All were for single-family homes. One property had duplicate permits.

North Arlington accounted for 13 of the permits and South Arlington had two of the permits. Six of the properties are in National Register Historic Districts: one in the Lyon Park National Register Historic District (132 North Fillmore Street), and the other four in the Lyon Village National Register Historic District (2400-2412 16th Street North, although 2408 16th Street North is not a contributing structure to the historic district). At least 11 of the 15 single-family demolition permits were for speculative developments. One permit was to demolish a home destroyed by a fire.

Totals for 2015

Homes: 38
– 8 are located in National Register Historic Districts
– 24 are speculative developments (owned by developers)

Commercial buildings: 0

The looming demolition of these houses and buildings represents an incredible loss of history, architecture, time, energy, and materials. Many had the potential for renovation and additions or, at a bare minimum, reclamation/reuse of building materials. These buildings are often replaced with new construction that is out of scale and proportion to the community. Preservation Arlington urges citizens to adopt Local Historic District designations for their communities, with standards for design, height, and placement that could be customized to reflect community needs while still allowing reinvestment to occur.

Similarly, if you are a property owner and are contemplating a change to your property, Preservation Arlington encourages you to work with your architect or builder to consider how some or all of your house or building could be incorporated into a renovation, or the materials reused.