News

Six months after it was first submitted, a request to bestow historic-district status on an Arlington parcel slated for a major redevelopment continues to await action.

The request, formally submitted in April, came from local residents upset with plans by property owner Melwood to redevelop a 1.96-acre parcel on 23rd Street S. in Aurora Highlands as a mixed-use property and, likely, demolish the former Nelly Custis Elementary School on the site.


News

Former President Jimmy Carter, who turns 100 today, compiled a 1-for-2 record with the Arlington electorate.

The former Georgia governor in his successful 1976 bid for the White House defeated Republican Gerald Ford in the county tally, 32,536 to 30,872, according to data from the county government’s elections office.


Events

Glencarlyn Library is celebrating over 100 years in operation with a rededication and family friendly festivities this weekend.

The library opened in the fall of 1923. It will honor its extensive history on Saturday afternoon with displays of historic photos, a talk about Glencarlyn in the 1920s and remarks from officials including Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey, a press release says.


News

The Arlington County Board has approved several new investments in projects involving local history.

Officials signed off on a total of $65,000 in funding on Saturday for operational costs at the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, facility improvements at the Arlington Historical Museum and the installation of 30 markers indicating where people were enslaved in Arlington.


Opinion

What are some of the iconic places, buildings, monuments or businesses that most exemplify “old school Arlington?”

That’s what we were asking ourselves recently as our staff contemplated new designs for the ARLnow Shop. While some things immediately came to mind — see: photos in the gallery — we wanted to open it up to readers to make sure we’re not forgetting something.


News

Some Arlington sidewalks will soon contain “stumbling stones” identifying locations where people were once enslaved.

Forthcoming markers in and around county rights of way, unanimously approved by the Arlington County Board on Saturday, are part of “Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington” — an Arlington Historical Society project seeking to uncover and chronicle the history of Arlington’s enslaved population.


News

A civic association is pushing to prevent a century-old former schoolhouse from being demolished to make way for an affordable housing project near Crystal City.

The historical significance of the Nelly Custis School, which stands on the Melwood property in Aurora Highlands, is slated for discussion at a Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) meeting tonight.


News

A new marker commemorating Black troops who fought in the Civil War has been installed at Fort Ethan Allen Park.

An official unveiling for the new sign at 3829 N. Stafford Street is scheduled for Thursday, June 20 — the day after Juneteenth. The marker commemorates the 107th United States Colored Troops, which ran drills and manned the ramparts at Fort Ethan Allen and other Arlington forts starting in October 1865, guarding D.C. following the end of the war.


Around Town

Model WWII props built in an Arlington veteran’s backyard were featured at a VIP event Wednesday at the French ambassador’s residence.

Former Army officer David Ostrander constructed a set of hedgehog anti-tank obstacles, as well as a portion of a World War II era landing craft, to go along with several surplus Army jeeps at two French fêtes. Yesterday’s event took place on Victory in Europe Day, while the second is scheduled to happen at the French embassy on June 6, the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.


News

A 90-year-old Tiffany stained glass window has a new home in Arlington.

Christ in Blessing was salvaged from a bankrupt mausoleum by Arlington County. The private mausoleum, built in the 1920s near Arlington National Cemetery, was torn down by the Navy about 20 years ago.


News

Several projects approved in Arlington’s inaugural round of historic preservation grants may need some more time to wrap up.

The Arlington County Board on Saturday will consider extending agreements with five projects that were among the first to receive county dollars last year from the Historic Preservation Fund. The grant recipients originally agreed to finish by June 30, but due to “unpredictable delays,” a county report recommends pushing back the deadline to Dec. 31.


Events

A local group of woodwind musicians will perform at a literary festival next weekend in the English village of Arlington.

The Arlington Wind Quintet will travel to what’s described as “the most beautiful village in England” to perform at the Bibury Literary Festival from April 19-21. The five-person ensemble will perform early 20th-century classical music by British and Russian composers such as Vaughan Williams, Holst, Prokofiev, and other symphonists from the Edwardian era.


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