National Register of Historic Places

Aurora Highlands Historic District

Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia
Listed
October 21, 2008
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
08001018

About this property

The Aurora Highlands Historic District is a national historic district located at Arlington County, Virginia. It contains 624 contributing buildings, 2 contributing sites, and 1 contributing structure in a residential neighborhood in South Arlington. Aurora Highlands was formed by the integration of three subdivisions platted between 1896 and 1930, with improvements in the form of modest single-family residences. The district is characterized by single family dwellings with a number of twin dwellings and duplexes, three churches, a rectory, two schools, two landscaped parks, and commercial buildings. The oldest dwelling is associated with “Sunnydale Farm” and is a Greek Revival-style dwelling built about 1870. The predominant architectural style represented is Colonial Revival. In the early 1970s, spillover commuter parking in Aurora Highlands by workers at the adjacent Crystal City complex led the county to establish the first residential zoned parking in the U.S. with the goal of reducing air pollution and protecting the neighborhood character as well as its quality of life. A lawsuit was filed to block it as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The plaintiffs prevailed in trial court and then on appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court, which held it unconstitutional since it granted residents of the permit zone greater rights over the public streets than their neighbors outside of it. The county appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reversed the lower courts in Arlington County Board v. Richards, holding that discrimination based on residency alone was not unconstitutional if it rationally furthered a legitimate state interest such as those embraced by the ordinance. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Location

Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia
38.85866, -77.06326

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Aurora Highlands Historic District

This page lists Aurora Highlands Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Hume School
Industrial
0.2 mi
Gray, Harry W., House
Industrial
0.7 mi
Pentagon, The (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
1 mi
Arlington Village Historic District
Colonial
1.1 mi
Walter Reed Gardens Historic District
Colonial
1.3 mi

Nearby Battles

September 11 Pentagon Attack
2001Modern
1 mi
September 11 Attacks — Pentagon
2001Modern
1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Aurora Highlands Historic District listed on the National Register?

Aurora Highlands Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 21, 2008.

What type of historic resource is Aurora Highlands Historic District?

Aurora Highlands Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Aurora Highlands Historic District?

The period of significance for Aurora Highlands Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Aurora Highlands Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Aurora Highlands Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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