National Historic Landmark

Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House

Alexandria (Independent City), Alexandria County, Virginia
Listed
December 17, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85003048

About this property

The President Gerald R. Ford Jr. House is a historic house at 514 Crown View Drive in Alexandria, Virginia. Built in 1955, it was the home of Gerald Ford from then until his assumption of the United States presidency on August 9, 1974. The house is typical of middle-class housing in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington from that period. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985 for its association with the Fords. The Ford House is located in a suburban residential area of central Alexandria, on the south side of Crown View Drive near its northwestern end. It consists of a rectangular 2-story main block with a two-story eastern section that once housed a garage on the ground floor and the master bedroom above. A single-story ell extends to the rear, and a 20-by-40-foot (6.1 m × 12.2 m) swimming pool was added by the Fords in 1961. The Secret Service converted the garage into a command post when Ford became Vice President of the United States in 1973. The house was built in 1955 for Gerald Ford, then a member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan. Ford and his family made this house their primary residence from the time of its construction until they moved into the White House on August 19, 1974, following the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. Between his swearing-in on August 9 and his final morning at Alexandria, the U.S. presidential residence had been on Crown View Drive, and President Ford had been driven every morning and evening, along with his Secret Service escorts and with help from the Alexandria police, to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. The house is representative of the period in Ford's career when he rose to become one of the nation's most influential Congressmen, and set the stage for his ascent to the Presidency. President Gerald R. Ford Jr. Boyhood Home, in Michigan List of residences of presidents of the United States National Register of Historic Places listings in Alexandria, Virginia Gerald R. Ford Jr. House, one photo at Virginia DHR

Location

514 Crown View Dr.
Alexandria (Independent City), Alexandria County, Virginia
38.81317, -77.07996

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENT
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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Nearby Historic Sites

Southwest No. 3 Boundary Marker of the Original District of Columbia
Listed
0.5 mi
Goodman, Charles M., House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary
Industrial
0.8 mi
Rosemont Historic District
Listed
0.9 mi
Southwest No. 2 Boundary Marker of the Original District of Columbia
Listed
1 mi

Nearby Battles

Raid on Alexandria
1814Early Republic
1.9 mi
British Occupation of Alexandria VA
1814Early Republic
1.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House listed on the National Register?

Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House?

Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House?

The period of significance for Ford, President Gerald R., Jr., House is recorded as the industrial era.

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