Construction of the Pentagon’s road network in the early 1940s was responsible for the mass displacement of an African-American neighborhood in South Arlington.
A new historical marker aims to bring the history of that community — Queen City — and its residents to future generations.
The Arlington Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) on Jan. 15 took another look at proposed wording for the marker. Members then gave conditional approval, after final wordsmithing is completed.
The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington joined with an HALRB subcommittee and county historic-preservation staff to find the right words to fit available space on the cast-aluminum, double-faced marker.
“It sounds wonderful, and long overdue,” said Dr. Scott Taylor, executive director of the Black Heritage Museum. “People need to know what happened.”
The “what happened,” as Taylor put it, is a story known to local-history aficionados, but not necessarily the broader public.
Queen City by the late 1930s had matured into neighborhood of about 900 residents plus businesses on the eastern end of Columbia Pike. A trolley stop connected the community to points in Arlington, Alexandria and D.C.
The community had grown up around a church established nearby in the late 1800s by former residents of Freedman’s Village, which had served as temporary housing for those emancipated from slavery in the 1860s.
In the early 1940s, with the nation preparing for war, President Franklin Roosevelt personally selected a nearby site for location of what initially was known as the War Department Building, but because of its five-side shape soon was better known as the Pentagon.
Queen City residents found themselves and their neighborhood imperiled by the expansive set of roadways planned to accommodate the world’s largest office building and the nearby Navy Annex complex.
The federal government used its eminent-domain powers to acquire the homes and businesses, offering limited compensation.
Some residents moved to other segregated neighborhoods in the county, including Green Valley and nearby Arlington View. According to contemporary news coverage, others moved to D.C., Baileys Crossroads and Merrifield.
Because so much time has elapsed, the historical marker will have to be explicit in describing what happened to Queen City, and why, HALRB member Gerald Laporte said.
“Don’t assume these are only being read by people who are familiar with Arlington history,” he said. “Assume that someone is just passing by on the sidewalk.”
As wording for the marker is further refined, a decision will have to be made on its placement. One possibility is near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Joyce Street, roughly where a part of the community once stood.
Taylor expressed chagrin that the aluminum-style markers do not incorporate photography. HALRB officials said it was possible that additional, “table-top” historic panels could be placed in the vicinity, providing further context.
After World War II ended, Arlington officials — who had no say in the siting of the Pentagon — seemed to have pangs of conscience about what had transpired to Queen City.
In 1947, county leaders considered whether to establish a local housing authority that could, among other responsibilities, construct replacement housing for Queen City residents who had lost theirs.
Arlington leaders eventually abandoned the idea owing to opposition of the broader county electorate, including one attack that branded the whole idea as “revolutionary, communistic or socialistic.”
