Arlington County is excited to announce the publication of the highly-anticipated Ashton Heights Style Guide. Several years in the making, this project is the first of its kind in the County and marks a successful collaboration between the citizen volunteers and staff of the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC) and the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB). Additional project support and financial assistance was provided by the non-profit Arlington Heritage Alliance.
Interested residents, architects, builders, contractors, and realtors will find this guide to be a useful tool, especially for those who live or work in historic Arlington neighborhoods. The Style Guide contains brief histories of both the County and Ashton Heights, as well as dozens of photographs of individual houses, detailed architectural illustrations and drawings, helpful maintenance checklists and preservation resources, a glossary of common architectural terms, and appendices with information on how to research historic Arlington properties and how to find local “green building” resources, among others.
In 1919, realtor Ashton C. Jones purchased 61 acres of land bounded by present-day 5th Street North, North Nelson Street, the Columbia Gardens Cemetery, 2nd Street North, and North Irving Street. He mapped out one subdivision on each side of Cathcart Road (now North Pershing Drive), then combined the two and in 1921 formally filed the larger subdivision which he named Ashton Heights. Additional blocks were added over the next fifteen years by various developers, and the neighborhood soon extended to encompass the whole residential area now bounded by Wilson Boulevard, 10th Street North, North Irving Street, Arlington Boulevard, and North Glebe Road.
In 2003, Ashton Heights was listed in the National Register of Historic Places due to its architectural significance and contributions to community planning and development.
Sketch of a Bungalow Style house during the 1915-40’s The most prominent architectural styles in the neighborhood that are featured in the Style Guide include Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, American Foursquare, and Bungalow. The Guide also features specific suggestions for maintaining and rehabilitating historic buildings, as well as suggestions to consider for new additions, the construction of new infill housing, and making site and yard improvements.
The Style Guide was officially presented to the County Board on May 8 and to the Ashton Heights Civic Association on May 16.