Preservation Arlington submitted the following comments to the Arlington County Board regarding Site Plan #64 — the plan to demolish the Blue Goose and redevelop the site for offices, retail, and residential units. The County Board is meeting on this proposal today. (UPDATE 1/25/14: The County Board approved the redevelopment; click here for the County Board’s press release.)
In 1894, a group of prominent Washingtonians formed the Washington Golf Club, whose first nine-hole course and clubhouse was located near present-day Colonial Village on Wilson Boulevard. Within a decade, club owners were looking for more land and found the club’s present location on North Glebe Road in 1908. By 1915, the club’s name had been changed to the Washington Golf and Country Club. Its nickname in those years, however, was “the Club of the Presidents,” as Presidents Taft, Coolidge,…
Preserved & Developed is a series of articles by Preservation Arlington highlighting local development projects that have involved both development of a site and preservation of historic resources. The projects highlight a wide range of challenges and solutions over many years. At the time they were completed the projects represented a commitment by the developer and the community to embrace the future and preserve the past. Preservation Arlington is awarding each project a gold, silver, or bronze star based on…
Historic properties in Arlington come in all sizes, shapes and materials. This week we are featuring a collection of townhouse-style properties. While one is structured in a fee-simple community, the others are in established condominium communities but still retain the design characteristics of a townhouse — owning everything above and below you. These projects represent a period in time in Arlington where a great deal of housing was being built to accommodate the growing community. All of these projects began…
Preserved & Developed is a series of articles by Preservation Arlington highlighting local development projects that have involved both development of a site and preservation of historic resources. The projects highlight a wide range of challenges and solutions over many years. At the time they were completed the projects represented a commitment by the developer and the community to embrace the future and preserve the past. Preservation Arlington is awarding each project a gold, silver, or bronze star based on…
It isn’t often that a home from the 1880s comes on the market in Arlington. Located in one of Arlington’s oldest residential neighborhoods, Glencarlyn, this historic Victorian farmhouse is full of period detail & charm. From the covered front porch, walk-in window alcoves, pine hardwood floors, a formal parlor, tin ceilings and the fixed stairs that lead to a usable attic with flooring and windows. The 3 BR 2 BA home sits on a 6,000 sf lot, which includes the…
Happy New Year from Preservation Arlington. We are very excited about what was accomplished in 2013 and building on that for 2014 and years into the future. Thank you for joining us for the journey! Year in Review One of our big decisions in 2013 was to rename ourselves Preservation Arlington and to rejuvenate our online presence with this new website. Since being introduced in April, our website has had close to 3,500 unique visitors and more than 6,300 page…
Preservation Arlington remembers when the Hecht’s department store in Ballston (at the former Parkington Shopping Center) carried seasonal displays for everyone to anticipate and enjoy. Photo courtesy of ©Lloyd Wolf. All rights reserved.
On occasion, Preservation Arlington will highlight unique historic houses that are on the market in Arlington County. In this case, the house is not for sale, but free to a caring new owner. With this column, we hope to raise awareness of some of the true housing gems we have here. Some might be in great condition and just need to be maintained by their next owner, while others may need a steward with heart and passion to restore and…
We are pleased to publish this guest post from Leslie Aun, who purchased and restored the historic Crossman House in 2012. Her story illustrates how dedicated homeowners can resurrect a valuable but needy property with passion and perseverance. (Be sure to scroll down for a photo gallery of the house, with before and after shots of the renovation. All photos courtesy of the author.) The year was 1892 and President Grover Cleveland had been elected to a second term, Sherlock…