New interpretive panels have been installed honoring the Rouse estate, a historic home torn down in 2021 to the dismay of many preservationists.
The new signs, a collaborative effort between the Dominion Hills Civic Association, Toll Brothers and county government, highlight the Dominion Hills community and the building also known as the Febrey-Lothrop House. Funding came through the county’s Historic Preservation Fund.
“The Dominion Hills Civic Association is grateful to Arlington County for the opportunity to dig into our local history and create something that can showcase the legacy of the unique stories of our neighborhood,” association officials said.
The manor home was razed in 2021 after unsuccessful efforts by historic-preservation advocates to save it. In its place is rising an enclave of 40 new homes priced starting at $1.9 million.
The signage has been placed along Wilson Blvd between N. Madison Street and McKinley Road. The panels front the new Grove at Dominion Hills community.
The site is located just a few hundred feet from one of the original boundary stones marking the border between Virginia and D.C., located in the parking lot of the adjacent Patrick Henry Apartments.
The design and verbiage of the markers was approved by the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board. Signage looks at the history of the area from pre-colonial times to the present; the role played during the Civil War; and the history and architecture of the Febrey-Lothrop House.
The signage was developed by a neighborhood committee that included Kathy Sullivan, Mark Troppe, Peter Vaselopulos and civic association president Terri Schwartzbeck.
“The group gathered existing research on the history of the site, the 18th-century home that dominated the land for over 100 years, and unearthed new resources and photos,” the civic association said.
Installation efforts were led by civic-association board member James Scampavia with assistance of Kathy Sullivan, Alain McNamara, Mike Whalen and Mark Troppe.
This article has been updated to indicate that while the signs were a collaborative effort involving Arlington County, the county did not install the markers.
