Constructed during the decade following World War II, the Virginia Heights Historic District in Arlington County displays a variety of innovative house designs during the post-World War II years. Although actually consisting of four separate subdivisions, each planned by different developers, the interconnecting curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs create a cohesive plan evocative of garden city planning ideals promoted by the Federal Housing Administration. The Virginia Heights Historic District was developed as a planned neighborhood of affordable, comfortable houses in a suburban environment, and it includes Colonial Revival designs, ranch houses, and five prefabricated house types: three Lustron houses, a Harmon, and a Gunnison house, all of which demonstrate post-war trends and experimentation to deal with material shortages, while taking advantage of new technologies.
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