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Category: Preservation

School Board to hear Wilson School Designation

School Board to hear Wilson School Designation

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The Arlington County School Board will take action on the historic designation for Wilson School at their February 5 Public Hearing. The agenda is available by clicking here. It is the last agenda item of the hearing. The Arlington County Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) is recommending designation. HALRB recommendations go to the Planning Commission and the Arlington County Board. Owned by the citizens of Arlington, the care and maintenance of Wilson School has been entrusted to the…

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Proposal to Sunset Historic Tax Credits

Proposal to Sunset Historic Tax Credits

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State Delegate Tim Hugo has introduced legislation to sunset the state Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit in January 2017. The credit entitles developers to tax credits of 25 percent of eligible expenses on designated historic properties. Developers can leverage up to 45 percent of eligible expenses when the state credit and the 20-percent federal tax credit are combined. Hugo claims that sunsetting the tax credit would help fund a reduction in the state corporate income tax, which has remained the same…

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Recording Vietnamese Voices in Arlington

Recording Vietnamese Voices in Arlington

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As we’ve reported, Preservation Arlington has been proud to sponsor an ongoing project by master’s degree students from Virginia Tech’s Department of Urban Affairs and Planning (National Capital Region) to collect and preserve Vietnamese heritage in Arlington. The students have now completed the first phase of this project, which involved collecting stories, photos and artifacts from Vietnamese community members who immigrated to, shopped at or owned businesses in Arlington’s Clarendon neighborhood when it was known as “Little Saigon” during the…

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Upcoming Hearing: HALRB Dec. 17

Upcoming Hearing: HALRB Dec. 17

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The Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) advises the County Board on historic preservation matters. The HALRB nominates properties for local and national designation and also reviews plans for exterior alterations, demolition and new construction in locally designated Arlington historic districts through a Certificate of Appropriate (CoA) process. The November Agenda for HALRB is now online. On the agenda are five (5) CoAs for Maywood; discussion of historic preservation easements for the Wakefield Manor and Courthouse Manor garden apartments…

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Collecting and Preserving Arlington’s Vietnamese Heritage

Collecting and Preserving Arlington’s Vietnamese Heritage

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In the late 1970s and early 1980s, after the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War, the arrival of thousands of Vietnamese refugees and immigrants in the Washington, D.C., area led to the creation of a Vietnamese enclave in Clarendon. This community became widely known as “Little Saigon.” Department stores, restaurants, fabric and furniture stores, and other establishments filled the Clarendon strip, revitalizing an area that was, at the time, disrupted by Metro construction. The Clarendon metro…

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Charlie Clark Profiles Preservation Arlington

Charlie Clark Profiles Preservation Arlington

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Charlie Clark, who writes the “Our Man in Arlington” column for the Falls Church News Press, has devoted his latest piece to Preservation Arlington. He discusses our Endangered List (including the Wilson School pictured below), our social media reach, and our hopes for the future. Clark writes: “The downside of progress — the loss of historic character and valued flavor from earlier eras — is worthy of a regular reminder. For that we can count on Preservation Arlington.” Click here…

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Etched in Stone:
Urban Archaeology

Etched in Stone:
Urban Archaeology

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What is urban archaeology? It’s the process of discovering the material past of towns and cities. Today, all major construction projects are required to recycle their building materials. For efficiency, this usually involves moving materials offsite to be ground, combined or otherwise destroyed to become the base of a new material. But in the old days, many items were re-used on site. Re-use is a form of recycling, and it’s now allowing us an intriguing glimpse into a long-forgotten story…

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House History Workshop
November 5

House History Workshop
November 5

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Four organizations focused on history in Arlington, including Preservation Arlington, are jointly hosting a House History Workshop on November 5. The workshop is designed to help Arlington residents research the history of their homes. Attendees will: Learn how to research the history of their own home or any historic property in Arlington. Use the maps, building permit data, photo archives, and other materials available at the Arlington County Library’s Center for Local History (CLH) and the Arlington County Historic Preservation…

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Modernist UUCA Added to Virginia Landmarks Register

Modernist UUCA Added to Virginia Landmarks Register

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Arlington’s newest addition to the Virginia Landmarks Register is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA), designed by noted modernist architect Charles M. Goodman. On September 18, 2014, the State Review Board and Board of Historic Resources approved the designation. This is the first step in the process of putting this modernist property on the National Register of Historic Places. (More information on the building and the hearing process can be found here.) At least six Charles Goodman-designed buildings/sites are…

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State Hearing on Historic Designation for
Modernist UUCA

State Hearing on Historic Designation for
Modernist UUCA

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The Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA), a modernist building with touches of brutalist architecture, has been nominated for inclusion in the Virginia Landmarks Register. (Click here for copy of the detailed nomination form.) UUCA is one of seven considerations before the State Review Board and Board of Historic Resources at their September 18, 2014, meeting in Richmond. If approved, the property will be placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register, and this nomination will then be forwarded to the National…

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