Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/08/2006
NRHP Listing Date 05/02/2006
NRHP Reference Number 06000345
Developed in five phases between 1939 and 1948 as a residential community, the Westover Historic District provides an important example of the impact of New Deal programs on residential construction across the country and, in particular, Arlington County, where a surge of residential suburban growth occurred during the era. The modest Colonial Revival-style houses, garden apartments, duplexes, and twin houses, sited along winding streets, are indicative of the design standards specified by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which was established under the National Housing Act of 1934. The inclusion of commercial development and community facilities, restricted to major arteries, also illustrates the emphasis the FHA placed on safe and livable neighborhoods. The district’s early residential developments, including Westover Apartments (1939) and Westover Hills (1940-41), reveal the adoption of new building technologies such as Stran-Steel framing, concrete floors, and assembly-line construction methods. The Westover Historic District is listed in the registers under the Garden Apartments, Apartment Houses and Apartment Complexes in Arlington County, Virginia: 1934-1954 MPD, and the Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830-1960 MPD.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: April 22, 2023
