National Register of Historic Places

Colonial Village

Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia
Listed
December 9, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Colonial
Ref No.
80004170

About this property

Colonial Village is a historic garden apartment complex and neighborhood located in Arlington County, Virginia, United States. Built in the Colonial Revival style with garden city design principles, it was constructed in four stages between 1935 and 1940 during the Great Depression and New Deal era. The complex contains a total of 245 buildings arranged around landscaped courtyards with approximately 1,055 apartments. Colonial Village was the first large-scale affordable housing project that was insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Its popularity resulted in it becoming a model community for the FHA that inspired numerous other developments in the Washington metropolitan area and around the United States. Colonial Village was added to the National Register for Historic Places on December 9, 1980 in recognition of its significance in the early history of the FHA and evolution of garden apartment properties. Today, it has been partially converted to condos and co-ops, with remaining rental units designated as either market rate or affordable housing.

Location

Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia
38.89481, -77.08266

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREECONOMICSPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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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
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Calvert Manor
Industrial
0.5 mi
Lyon Village Historic District
Civil War
0.6 mi
Lee Gardens North Historic District
Colonial
0.6 mi
Fort C. F. Smith Historic District
Early Republic
0.6 mi
Fort Myer Historic District
Industrial
0.7 mi

Nearby Battles

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

Questions about this property

When was Colonial Village listed on the National Register?

Colonial Village was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 9, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Colonial Village?

Colonial Village is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Colonial Village?

The period of significance for Colonial Village is recorded as the colonial era.

Can I research the history near Colonial Village?

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