The Glencarlyn Historic District, platted in 1887 as Carlin Springs, was the first planned residential subdivision in Arlington County and a commuter suburb of Washington D.C. Built on land previously owned and cultivated by farmer John Ball, Glencarlyn was established by General Samuel S. Burdett, a Congressman from Missouri, and William W. Curtis, who was president of the board of trustees of the public schools of the District of Columbia. The Carlin Springs Cooperative Association oversaw development of the community. That association’s descendant, the Glencarlyn Community Association is one of the oldest continually operating community associations in the country. As Glencarlyn developed slowly, and its greatest period of development occurred between 1946 and 1958, the neighborhood has a significant concentration of post-World War II architecture. This includes a one-room log structure, high-style Queen Anne buildings, bungalows, and Cape Cods of the early 20th century, examples of the Modern Movement such as ranch houses and split-foyers, and late 20th-century interpretations of historic styles. The Glencarlyn Historic District’s architectural diversity encapsulates the development of Arlington County from circa 1742 to the present.
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
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia