000-8823

Penrose Historic District

Arlington (County)

VLR Listing Date

2003-12-03

NRHP Listing Date

2004-11-15

NHL Listing Date

NA

NRHP Reference Number

4000112

Located about three miles from Washington, D.C., Penrose Historic District is a planned community in Arlington County associated with the historic, economic, and cultural contributions of African American families. During and after the Civil War, free blacks and former slaves lived in the government-established Freedman’s Village, but as residents became assimilated into the work force, many families relocated to nearby communities that began to cater to African Americans. Planned development in the area that became Penrose began in 1882 when former Village residents William Butler and Henry Louis Holmes established the Butler-Holmes Subdivision. The neighborhood also attracted middle- and working-class populations with the arrival of streetcar lines that allowed easy access to Washington, D.C. Today, Penrose is a firmly established multicultural and multiethnic neighborhood with domestic architecture representing vernacular forms and Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Craftsman styles.

Last Updated: June 2, 2023

Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

000-8823_Penrose_HD_2002_Filmore_Garden_VLR_online

For additional information Read

Nomination Form

More Listings In Arlington (County)

000-1243

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac

Arlington (County)

000-9823

Windsor Apartments

Arlington (County)

000-9731

Glebe Apartments

Arlington (County)