Hollin Hills

Hollin Hills Historic District

Typical house in Hollin Hills neighborhood
Location Roughly Beechwood, Elba, Glasgow, Martha's, Paul Springs, Range & Stafford Rds., Mason Hill, Rebecca & Whiteoaks Drs., Alexandria, Virginia
Coordinates 38°45′23″N 77°04′02″W / 38.75639°N 77.06722°W / 38.75639; -77.06722Coordinates: 38°45′23″N 77°04′02″W / 38.75639°N 77.06722°W / 38.75639; -77.06722
Area 326 acres (132 ha)
Built 1946 (1946), 1956
Built by Davenport, Robert C.
Architect Goodman, Charles M.
Architectural style Modern Movement
MPS Historic Residential Suburbs of the United States, 1830–1960
NRHP Reference # 13000807[1]
VLR # 029-5471
Significant dates
Added to NRHP September 30, 2013
Designated VLR June 2013[2]

Hollin Hills is a neighborhood in Hybla Valley, Virginia, though much of the neighborhood (east of Elba Road and Rebecca Drive) was transferred to the Fort Hunt CDP for census purposes prior to 2010. It has about 450 houses conceived and built by builder Robert C. Davenport, and designed by D.C.-based architect Charles M. Goodman (who also designed the Washington National Airport) and landscape architect Dan Kiley.[3][4]

Hollin Hills is next to other neighborhoods such as Villamay and Mason Hill, just south of Alexandria in the South Alexandria section of Fairfax County, Virginia.

History

Designed by Charles M. Goodman and developed by Robert Davenport in the 1940s, Hollin Hills brought contemporary construction to northern Virginia. The community was one of the first post-World-War-II developments around Washington, D.C., and it is known primarily for its modern architecture, which remains very cohesive because of a design review committee that advises on building or modification of existing houses.

Neighborhood entrance sign on Sherwood Hall Lane

The name of Hollin Hills was intended as a variation of the 18th-century Hollin Hall Plantation, originally owned by George Mason, one of the founding fathers, known as the “Father of the Bill of Rights.” General Mason named his lands after an English estate of his mother’s family. Some of the Hollin Hall plantation buildings still stand on Sherwood Hall Lane.[5]

While planning the community, architect Goodman and landscape architect Dan Kiley designed each home with lots no smaller than one-third of an acre. During construction, many trees were retained to block sight lines, and houses were built at angles to ensure privacy. The popularity of the homes, which feature huge expanses of glass, established Goodman as a nationally acclaimed guru of modern architecture.[6][7] Davenport named some streets to complement the community name, while others were named after family members: Martha's Road for his mother and Rebecca Drive for his daughter. Elba Road was named after one of his prize bulls.[8]

Awards

Hollin Hills has won many awards, beginning with the Revere Quality House award from the Southwest Research Institute in 1950 and including two 1982 Test of Time awards from the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects, for houses on Stafford Road.

Hollin Hills is on the Fairfax County, Virginia, Inventory of Historic Sites.

Hollin Hills was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register in late June 2013.[9] The Board of the Civic Association of Hollin Hills (CAHH) sought a National Register of Historic Places national historic district designation for the neighborhood, which was granted in 2013.[1]

The Hollin Hills Historic District encompasses 468 contributing buildings, two contributing sites, and three contributing structures.[10]

Notable residents

Over the decades, Hollin Hills has attracted artists, politicians, and political liberals.[11] Notable residents include former CBS newsman Eric Sevareid,[12] former U.S. Representative James G. O'Hara (1925–1989),[13] United States Senator Pat Roberts, singer Roberta Flack,[14] architect Michael Sorkin[15] and the production designers for Mad Men, Dan Bishop and Jeremy Conway.[16]

The official website of Hollin Hills.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/16/13 through 9/30/13. National Park Service. 2013-10-18.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "Welcome to Hollin Hills". Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  4. ↑ "Longtime Obstetrician Was Active in Mormon Church". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  5. ↑ "Welcome to Hollin Hills". Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  6. ↑ John A. Burns (June 1, 2001). "back to the future: architect john a. burns, faia, looked back 50 years to find a house ahead of its time". Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  7. ↑ "Welcome to Hollin Hills". Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  8. ↑ "Facts and Highlights about Hollin Hills". Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  9. ↑ Schumitz, Kali (2013-07-17). "Hollin Hills added to Virginia Landmarks Register". The Washington Post.
  10. ↑ Laura V. Trieschmann; Andrea F. Schoenfeld; Jere Gibber (March 2013). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Hollin Hills Historic District" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
  11. ↑ David Morton (September 5, 2003). "Heart of Glass: Charles Goodman's modernist houses are prized period pieces. They were supposed to be the future". Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  12. ↑ "Longtime Obstetrician Was Active in Mormon Church". The Washington Post. June 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  13. ↑ "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  14. ↑ "A RESURGENT NIGHT FOR THE ARTS". Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  15. ↑ Lewis, Roger K. (2012-06-01). "Hollin Hills is a Happy Experiment in Modernity". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  16. ↑ Sergent, Jennifer (2010-07-22). "'Mad Men' and 'Sex and the City' production designers grew up in Hollin Hills". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
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