Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 10/08/1991
NRHP Listing Date 06/02/1995
NRHP Reference Number 95000605
The parkway is one of America’s important contributions to landscape design. Created to accommodate recreational motorists, these extended verdant parks offer constantly unfolding scenic views. The parkway concept was an outgrowth of the turn-of-the-20th-century City Beautiful movement. Washington’s McMillan Plan of 1902 called for numerous parkways linking Great Falls, Mount Vernon, the Potomac River bridges, and existing parks. The George Washington Memorial Parkway, originally including the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, opened in 1932. Its Virginia portion today consists of the parkway’s northern leg, built 1930-65 and extending over nine miles through Arlington and Fairfax Counties, from Arlington Memorial Bridge to the Capital Beltway. This undulating roadway continues the character of the original southern section. The George Washington Memorial Parkway, initiated by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Public Roads, maintains the Potomac River corridor’s scenic beauty while making it accessible to thousands of motorists daily.
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: May 10, 2023
