Hollin Hills

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron appointed land agents who lived on the Northern Neck to sell parcels from what became known as the Fairfax Grant. The land agents for the proprietor included Philip Ludwell, George Brent, and William Fitzhugh. They processed the paperwork for Northern Neck grants (i.e., land sales) rather than the Secretary and Governor in Jamestown/Williamsburg. Based on pre-1742 maps of the Patents and Northern Neck Grants of Fairfax County, the land of present-day Hollin Hills sat on land once owned by land agent, George Brent.[6]

Based on an 1862 Union engineer map (VREF 975.52 U 1862 DC.), known as the “McDowell map”, Hollin Hills sat near Sparrow Hill, which later formed Popkins Farm.[7][8]

Neighborhood entrance sign on Sherwood Hall Lane

When Davenport acquired the original tract, he intended the name "Hollin Hills" as a variation of the 18th-century Hollin Hall Plantation, originally owned by George Mason, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights." General Mason named his lands after an English estate of his mother's family. Some of the Hollin Hall plantation buildings still stand on Sherwood Hall Lane.[9]

Davenport hired D.C.-based architect Charles M. Goodman (who also designed the Washington National Airport) to design the community; Goodman hired landscape architect Lou "Barney" Voigt to his firm in 1950.[10][11] Together, the trio of builder/developer, architect and landscape architect chose to design each home with lots no smaller than one-third of an acre. Between 1949 and 1961, Charles Goodman designed eight modern unit types with variations in square footage and interior amenities, comprising 15 different combinations for Hollin Hills.[1] During construction, many trees were retained to block sight lines, and houses were built at angles to ensure privacy. The popularity of the homes, which feature huge expanses of glass, established Goodman as a nationally acclaimed guru of modern architecture.[12][3] Davenport named some streets to complement the community name, while others were named after family members: Martha's Road for his mother and Rebecca Drive for his daughter. Elba Road was named after one of his prize bulls.[13]

Throughout the community, several custom designs, additions and modifications were constructed beyond the unit types creating an “architectural laboratory” for modern home design. In 1957, Goodman was appointed to design Alcoa Care-free Homes across the United States using more than 7,500 pounds (3,400 kg) of aluminum per home. Only 23 were ever built, including one in Hollin Hills, which has since been restored. This Elba Road-home is one of the district’s NRHP contributing properties and is listed separately within the Virginia Department of Historic Resources’ ‘’Notable Modern Architecture in Virginia, ca. 1940-1990’’ listing.[14][15]

In 1950, Goodman employed Harvard-trained landscape designer Lou "Barney" Voight to develop landscape plans for homes that optimized their home-sitting, the rolling hills and natural wood setting. After his untimely death at age 37 in 1953, he was followed by Daniel Urban Kiley and Eric Paepcke who focused on more geometric designs.[10] Each provided property owners with landscaping plans intended to harmonize the contours of the land and highlight each building's individual design and siting. Depending on the address and date of construction, residents of today may obtain copies of their original landscape plans from the Library of Congress, Harvard’s Frances Loeb Library, or George Mason University’s Fenwick Library.[16]

Stormwater throughout Hollin Hills is part of the Little Hunting Creek watershed that flows to the Potomac River and onto the Chesapeake Bay.[17] Starting in April 2021 after months of debate, Fairfax County closed access to the parks and began stream restoration projects designed to restore and stabilize the dangerously eroded perennial streambeds in Goodman and Brickelmaier Parks and restore the parks to safety, ecological health, and natural beauty, which was heavily debated by residents, ecological experts and the county.[18][19][20][21] The two parks were reopened in November 2022.[22]

For elections, the majority of Hollin Hills is located within the Kirkside (608) voting precinct and the Hollin Meadows Elementary School is the polling place. For others, residents are served by the Bucknell (604) voting precinct and its Bryant Center polling place.[26]

• In the U.S. House of Representatives, residents are represented by Virginia's 8th congressional district.
• For representation in the Virginia General Assembly, the community rests inside Virginia's 44th House of Delegates district and Virginia's 36th Senate district, for State Delegate and State Senator, respectively.
• At the county (or district) level, citizens are served by the Mount Vernon Magisterial District of Fairfax County for representation amongst the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and other district representatives on a variety of boards and commissions within the county. Mount Vernon Station No. 9, located in Sherwood Hall Lane, is the nearest response unit for emergency services from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD). Of the eight police stations of the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD), Mount Vernon District Police Station is nearest the community.
• At the community level, the Civic Association of Hollin Hills (CAHH) is a member association of the Mount Vernon Council of Citizens’ Associations, which was formed to represent and promote the interests of its member associations and to further the common good and general welfare of the residents of the Mount Vernon Magisterial District.[27]

Within the community’s first five years, construction began in June 1954 on Hollin Hills Elementary School, located adjacent to the community entrance along Fort Hunt Road, immediately north of the intersection with Paul Spring Road. The school was built at a cost of $275,964 (present value: $3.01 million) and opened its doors to students on September 6, 1955. In the subsequent years, the originally all-white school was desegregated in 1964. By the late 1970s, enrollment numbers had declined and the school was closed in June 1980. The buildings have since been converted into the Paul Spring Retirement Community living center.[28]

As of 2023, public elementary and secondary education of resident youth is provided by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) with school board representation from the Mount Vernon District. FCPS schools serving the community are Hollin Meadows Elementary School, Sandburg Middle School and West Potomac High School (Wolverines). There are also many private schools in the area, such as Bishop Ireton High School (Cardinals) and St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School (Saints).

Little Library Book Exchange in Hollin Hills at 2200 block of Glasgow Rd

The nearest public libraries to Hollin Hills are the Sherwood Regional Library and Martha Washington Library served by the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) system. In addition, several residents have installed and maintain neighborhood book exchanges and chartered Little Free Library locations throughout the neighborhood, often stylized in the shape of mid-century modern homes found throughout the community.

The Civic Association of Hollin Hills (CAHH) is a volunteer neighborhood organization structured to promote the common good of the community. It is led by a nine-member, democratically elected Board of Directors which manages a variety of community activities including a monthly newsletter, a resident/owner directory, an architectural design review committee, management and oversight of 30 acres of parks, the Hollin Hills Pool, Hollin Hills Pickleball and Tennis Club, and the biennial House and Garden Tour.

Parks

Resident volunteers with efforts of the CAHH Parks Committee[29] and the Friends of Hollin Hills organize to enhance park amenities and to control non-native, invasive species such as English ivy, multiflora rose, and tea viburnum. The seven CAHH parks[30] include:

CAHH entrance sign for Wildlife Sanctuary

• Paul Spring Park–a 6.38 acres (2.58 ha) park that runs along the north side of Paul Spring Road, located in the Groveton area. According to the county website, Paul Spring Park is located in a FEMA-designated "100 year floodplain" (aka, Zone AE) and Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area (RPA) since 1993.[31]
• Voight Memorial Park–a rectangular, 3.41 acres (1.38 ha) park located between Fort Hunt Road and Rippon Road at the eastern edge of Hollin Hills in the Fort Hunt area, abutting the Hollin Hills Pool & Swim Club. The main portion of the park includes a children’s playground, with a bocce court located along Rippon Road. Voight Park is located within FEMA Zone AE floodplain and the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area RPA since 1993.[31]
• McCalley Park–a small 0.351 acres (0.142 ha) park named after Charles R. “Mac” McCalley, the construction foreman of Hollin Hills from 1949 to 1971. It is located at the southwest corner of Paul Spring Road and Rippon Road across from Voight Park. This land was once the site of one of the originally built homes but often suffered from flooding. As a result, the structure (formerly 1801 Paul Spring Rd) was raised and the property purchased by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1990. The entire park is located within the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area RPA with some portions within a FEMA Zone AE floodplain.[31]
• Charles Goodman Park & Trail–originally named East Stafford Park and renamed after the neighborhood's master architect and planner. The sloping, narrow park consists of two tracts at a combined 3.2029 acres (1.2962 ha) size that directly borders 28 home properties, and is located in the Fort Hunt area and runs roughly north-south from Paul Spring Road to Martha's Road; it can be accessed at either end. A riparian zone exists along its stream. The park is similar to Brickelmaier Park in that it is mostly forested land following the Paul Spring Branch stream with a riparian corridor.
• Brickelmaier Park & Trail–the park originally was known as West Stafford Park, but was renamed in 1978 in honor of George Brickelmaier, an original resident of Hollin Hills who worked with developer Robert Davenport. This Fort Hunt area park is 3.104 acres (1.256 ha) and is accessible from Popkins Lane and Paul Spring Road, and borders 20 properties along Beechwood Road, Stafford Road, Bedford Lane, and Pickwick Lane. The park is mostly forested land that followed the natural watercourse of the Paul Spring Branch stream with a riparian corridor which buffers the stream. The park is within a designated RPA since 2003.[31]
• Wildlife Sanctuary–a relatively level 2.785 acres (1.127 ha) set of six tracts, which was subdivided for development in the 1960s, but never improved. It is located in the Hybla Valley area and Hybla Valley Farm land tract along Delafield Place and Boswell Avenue, west of Elba Road. While it was acquired through a land trade with Fairfax County in 1976, it is a part of the HOD. The majority of the land is located within the Chesapeake Bay RPA since 2003.[31]
• Sutton–Potter Park–a narrow, sloping 5.37 acres (2.17 ha) rectangular park at the western edge of Hollin Hills (in the Hybla Valley area). The park entrance is located via path in the 7400 block of Range Road. The homes along this block (officially designated in county records as Hollin Meadows) are a semi-exclave to Hollin Hills; its homeowners and residents are allowed to join and become members of the CAHH. This park was acquired in 1966 as part of a land swap with the county; it is located outside the historic district and HOD.

Lastly, other nearby parks inclusive of the county HOD but located outside of the state and national historic district boundaries are White Oaks Park and two portions of the Paul Springs Valley Stream Park, all of which is maintained by the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA).

The structures and community of Hollin Hills has won many architectural and landscape design awards beginning with the Revere Quality House award from the Southwest Research Institute in 1950. After more than 25 years, the community was the inaugural awardee of the Test-of-Time Award (Residential category) from the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for its lasting appeal in site-planning, house sitting and architecture[34] for houses on Stafford Road.[35][36]

With its last home constructed in 1971, the community's first significant and lasting recognition as a historic community occurred quickly thereafter with its 1972 inclusion in the Fairfax County's Inventory of Historic Sites. Next in December 2004, Hollin Hills is prominently listed within The Contemporary House and The Contemporary Landscape Design sections of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) multiple property submission for Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830–1960. Subsequently, the Board of the Civic Association of Hollin Hills (CAHH) sought and was granted state and national designations when Hollin Hills was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register in late June 2013, followed by its September 2013 inclusion as a National Register of Historic Places national historic district.[5][37]

Over the decades, this mid-century modern community has attracted artists, architects, politicians, lawyers, doctors and numerous other individuals typical of the metropolitan DC region, including and the production designers for Mad Men, Dan Bishop and Jeremy Conway.[44] Notable residents include:

• Civic Association of Hollin Hills (2000). Hollin Hills: Community of Vision, a Semicentennial History 1949–1999 (3rd ed.). Hollin Hills: Civic Association of Hollin Hills. ISBN 1599758601.
• Gutowski, Gabriela Amendola (2007). Hollin Hills, the Future that is Now the Past: Challenges of Preserving a Post-war Suburban Community (Master of Science in Historic Preservation). University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
• Klopfer, Mark A. (1999). "Theme and Variation at Hollin Hills," in Daniel Urban Kiley: the Early Gardens. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hollin Hills Historic District.

• Official website
• Hollin Hills Pickleball and Tennis Club
• Hollin Hills Pool
• Hollin Hills Home & Garden Tour
• Friends of Hollin Hills