000-5772

Fairlington Historic District

VLR Listing Date

12/02/1998

NRHP Listing Date

03/29/1999

NRHP Reference Number

99000368

Fairlington Historic District, a garden-apartment complex constructed between 1942-1944 in Arlington County and a small part of the city of Alexandria, is a nationally significant example of a large-scale, publicly-financed, housing complex built for defense workers and their families during World War II. With 1,064 buildings containing 3,439 apartments, it was by far the largest project financed by the Defense Homes Corporation (DHC), a component of the National Housing Agency, and the largest apartment complex in the nation at that time. Many of Fairlington’s residents worked at the nearby Pentagon and Navy Annex. Designed by architects Kenneth Franzheim of Houston, Texas, and Alan B. Mills of the Washington, D.C., firm of Mills & Petticord, the Colonial Revival-style brick or stone apartment buildings with slate roofs were intended to remain a permanent part of the community after the war. DHC managed Fairlington until its sale to private owners in 1947. The rental units were successfully renovated and sold as condominiums from 1972-1977.

Last Updated: August 14, 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

For additional information Read

Nomination Form

100-0005

Bank of Potomac/Executive Office and Governor’s Residence of the Restored Government of Virginia

Alexandria (Ind. City)

100-0143

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Cemetery

Alexandria (Ind. City)

000-1243

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac

Arlington (County)