Annual Report to the Arlington Heritage Alliance,
2000---2001

From Laura L. Bobeczko, Chairman

Presented at the annual meeting, April 23, 2001, 7:30 p.m.,
at the Clarendon Ballroom, 3185 Wilson Boulevard

"To promote the preservation and creative uses of sites within Arlington . which are of historical, architectural, cultural, natural, and national significance; to identify, research and encourage an appreciation of County resources"
  • Monitored the planned sale of the Glebe House (4527 17th Street, N.)
  • Participated in a Working Group formed by the County Manager to resolve the problematic location of an off-leash dog exercise area within the County-designated historic district at Fort Ethan Allen (located between Old Glebe and Military Roads)
  • Monitored proposed changes to the Buckingham Shopping Center
  • Photographed the Arna Valley Apartments during demolition and donated those images to the collections of the Virginia Room at the Arlington Central Library
  • Monitored the redevelopment of the Olmsted Property along the Potomac Palisades (2775 N. Quebec Street)
  • Monitored the development of revitalization plans for the Columbia Pike Corridor
  • Ensured that photographs would be taken of 1940s-era buildings at the rear of the Arlington Hospital site prior to their demolition as part of an extensive expansion project
  • Investigated the impacts that the planned improvements to Route 50 would have on surrounding twentieth-century apartment buildings
  • Contributed information on historic buildings to the planners of the Arlington Urban Walkway
  • Supported the rehabilitation of the National Register-listed Maury School, constructed in 1910 as a public school and now the home of the Arlington Arts Center (3550 Wilson Boulevard)
  • Monitored exciting adaptive re-use projects in Clarendon, including the Clarendon Ballroom in the former Woolworth's building (3185 Wilson Boulevard) and Common Grounds in the original Clarendon Citizens Hall (3211 Wilson Boulevard)

    "To foster civic and financial involvement, independently and in concert with other concerned organizations"

  • Read several drafts and offered suggestions for revisions to "Historic Preservation in Arlington," a report authored by Charles Monfort of the County's Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB)
  • Testified before the Task Force on Arlington's Future on the importance of preserving the built reminders of the County's rich cultural history
  • Maintained membership in the Preservation Alliance of Virginia, the Northern Virginia Association for History, the Clarendon Alliance, and the Arlington County Civic Federation
  • Conducted a membership renewal campaign

    "To promote an awareness of and sensitivity to these resources through education and activities"

  • Redesigned and launched a new AHA Web site (Please visit us at http://www.capaccess.org/com/arlingtonheritage)
  • Published a quarterly newsletter
  • Planned and conducted a program in October on the history of Lyon Park and a tour of the Knee-Wells House, a 1923 residence in Lyon Park undergoing an extensive renovation (2730 N. Pershing Drive)
  • Sponsored a joint program in November with the Arlington Historical Society: "Washington National Airport: Early Days and Renovation," a slide lecture by Henry Ward, archaeologist and historic preservation consultant

    "To provide information to local, state and federal governmental agencies on local preservation matters and issues"

  • Met with members of the County Board to discuss the issue of properties that are listed in the Arlington County Inventory of Historic Resources and Districts, but have not been locally or nationally designated, and thus are not entitled to another layer of protection from insensitive redevelopment plans or demolition
  • Wrote to the County Board during the FY02 budget deliberations in support of increased funding and staff for the Historic Preservation Program and for money to begin the long-awaited interpretation of Fort Ethan Allen
  • Monitored plans to expand the Arlington Post Office in Clarendon · Presented AHA information at an open house for County schoolteachers entitled "Using the Schoolyard as a Resource" on October 12, 2000
  • Attended a County Board work session with the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board on December 5, 2000

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