Endangered List 2013 Press Release
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Transcript of Endangered List 2013 Press Release
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7/30/2019 Endangered List 2013 Press Release
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2013 Preservation Arlington. All rights reserved. www.preservationarlington.org
Preservation ArlingtonProtecting and Promoting Arlington's Unique Character
For Immediate Release May 20, 2013
FULL Details atwww.preservationarlington.orgCONTACT: Tom Dickinson, 703-841-4992
Tish Weichmann, 202-297-7650
Eric Dobson, 703-528-5657
Arlingtons National Register NeighborhoodsTop the List of Historic Places at Risk:
Preservation Arlington Releases 2013 Endangered Historic Places Report
1. National Register Neighborhoods. The proximity of Arlington's historic neighborhoods to urban amenities hascaused property values to skyrocket and consumers seeking larger homes for their purchasing dollar. The social and
architectural fabric of these older neighborhoods is being threatened by over-sized and incompatible in-filldevelopment and this could jeopardize the highly coveted National Register Designation of older residential
neighborhoods such as Lyon Village, Cherrydale, Ashton Heights and Penrose. Recent statistics attest to the
alarming rate of loss: In 2012 there were 168 demolition permits issued for structures in Arlington; 122 of them
were for single family homes -- a house every three days.
Preservation Arlington challenges homeowners in Arlington's National Register Neighborhoods to consider saving
their neighborhoods by becoming a Local Historic District with specialized design, mass and height guidelines such
that new development and major additions to structures would come under review. Communities could establish
their own set of guidelines, providing an opportunity to ensure new development fits into the character of the
community but still allows reinvestment to occur.
2. The Arlington House Woods, which is threatened by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Millennium Project to expandthe number of burial sites at Arlington National Cemetery in an area immediately adjacent to the Arlington House.
One ofArlingtons oldest forests and one of a dwindling number of such forests remaining in the national capital
region, the site is visible from the Fort Myer National Historic Landmark Historic District, the National Register of
Historic Places-listed Arlington House, and the National Register of Historic Places-eligible Arlington National
Cemetery historic district. The removal of trees here could account for up to a 12% loss of Arlingtons tree canopy.
3. The Millennium Project also threatens 1,357 feet of the 1879 Seneca Quarry Red Sandstone Cemetery BoundaryWall which once encircled the entire Cemetery.
4. One of the only remaining pieces of track of the Washington & Old Dominion Railway is an elevated siding on thewestern edge of the County located partially on private property and partially on land owned by the NorthernVirginia Regional Park Authority. A redevelopment plan has been submitted for the private property and it is hoped
that restoration of the siding and creation of an interpretive center can be included in that agreement.
5. Low-rise commercial architecture of the 1930s-1950s. Designs catered to pedestrians and retail space at the streetlevel and offices above. Highly stylized signage often marked these businesses, as well as decorative cladding and
expansive glazing to differentiate these structures. These buildings, with great character and sense of place, once
filled the bustling retail corridors of Arlington, are now being torn down with only a handful being integrated into
the new development sites.
http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/ -
7/30/2019 Endangered List 2013 Press Release
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2013 Preservation Arlington. All rights reserved. www.preservationarlington.org
6. Wilson School (1910 plus additions) and Wilson School playgrounds. The Fort Meyer Heights School (aka theWoodrow Wilson School), is an early Arlington school originally built in 1910. Designed by prominent Richmond
architect Charles Morrison Robinson, it survives as the oldest extant school building in Arlington County that is still
owned and maintained by Arlington Public Schools and is the last remaining example of early 20th
-century
institutional architecture in the Rosslyn and Fort Meyer Heights neighborhood. While it has been substantially
altered it can be returned to its former glory as an important civic building.
7. The Blue Goose, now Marymount University Ballston Campus. Designed by John M. Walton, a leading architectof the time, this building represents an excellent example of mid-century architecture that is quickly disappearing. I
is one of those buildings which engender strong feelings but it also represents a period of time in architectural
design that is just beginning to be fully appreciated.
8. Garden Apartments: Fillmore Gardens and other affordable housing on Columbia Pike; plus Queens Court and KeyBoulevard Apartments in Rosslyn. Since 2003 when Arlingtons outstanding collection of historic garden apartment
complexes was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, the county has lost a significant number of
these distinctive housing complexes. Historically and today, these apartments have provided affordable, quality
homes for Arlingtonians. A number of smaller complexes are also imminently threatened with redevelopment.
Full detail on the sites being listed and proposals for action can be found on the Preservation Arlingtonwebsiteand in
the attached document.
Preservation Arlington is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the quality of
Arlington's distinct architectural heritage. Through education and advocacy, Preservation Arlington bringstogether people and organizations to influence the future of Arlingtons historic buildings, landscapes and
communities. Preservation Arlington was originally founded in 1989 as the Arlington Heritage Alliance.
www.preservationarlington.org
Preservation ArlingtonP.O. Box 100489, Arlington, Virginia 22210-1418
http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/http://www.preservationarlington.org/