|
For Immediate Release
May 28, 2004
Arlington Heritage Alliance
Releases
4th Annual
Most Endangered Historic Places List
|
|
Modeled after the National
Trust for Historic Preservation's "Eleven
Most Endangered Places," released earlier this
week, the Arlington Heritage Alliance has released
its annual list of threatened historic resources in
Arlington County. The Arlington Heritage Alliance
is the only private, nonprofit organization devoted
to the protection and promotion of local historic
and natural resources in Arlington. This local "Most
Endangered Places List" spotlights five threatened
local resources, including Fort Ethan Allen, the Munson/Lane
House, Glebe House, First Baptist Church of Clarendon
and the Historic Storefronts of Clarendon.
SAVED:
When first released in May of this year, the owner
of the Glebe House, the National Genealogical
Society, wss selling this unique Arlington house,
and it was uncertain that they would find a buyer
willing to preserve it. We are please to report that
the house has been sold to a couple who plan to take
advantage of state historic preservation tax credits
and restore the Glebe House and gardens for their
own residence.
Fort Ethan Allen,
a County-designated historic district since 1978,
remains on the Endangered list for the fourth year
in a row as it is still threatened by the inappropriate
placement of a dog exercise area in the center of
the fort. The picturesque House at 501 N. Lombardy
is threatened by a single-family home development,
and is just the latest example of inappropriate infill
development happening throughout Arlington's historic
residential neighborhoods. The First Baptist Church
of Clarendon is planning to redevelop their site,
and replace the church with an eight-story building.
Development pressures are extremely high for all the
Historic Clarendon Storefronts, and the ongoing
loss of these small-scale commercial buildings will
eventually destroy the historic character of this
neighborhood, and will force out small, local business
owners unable to afford rent in the high-rise buildings
that are replacing them. For more information on these
threatened historic sites, please CLICK
HERE.
According to the Heritage
Alliance's Chairwoman, Shannon Bell, "This is the
fourth year AHA has released a local Most Endangered
List--each year we do so, we try to focus attention
on the wonderful, but threatened, historic resources
that make up the fabric of our community. We know
many residents are concerned about the demolition
of Arlington's historic resources to pave the way
for the rapid growth and increased density we are
experiencing--they may not realize that there is a
volunteer group in the county advocating for the preservation
of these very places that are tied to Arlington's
identity, our sense of place."
Watch List
The Arlington Heritage Alliance is also keeping watch
over several sites that could be threatened in the
coming year. As the issue over whether or not baseball
will come to Arlington has still not been settled,
we are concerned about the adverse effect this could
have on the quality of life and stability of the Historic
Neighborhoods Around the Proposed Locations of the
Baseball Stadium. We are also monitoring the Historic
Buildings along Columbia Pike to make sure none
are adversely affected by redevelopment projects planned
along the Pike. We are pleased to report that the
once alarming loss of any twentieth-century garden
apartments in Arlington has receded. We believe
this is partly due to a growing recognition of the
historic value of these buildings, many of which have
recently been listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. These complexes have long been a source of
de facto affordable housing in Arlington, and through
the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing several
complexes have now been renovated to become successful,
official affordable housing projects, such as the
Lorcam Arms Complex at 2031 N. Woodrow.
For more information on
the places include in this year's Most Endangered
List, please CLICK
HERE. You can also find information on the places
included in 2003
and 2002.
