Arlington House Historic District - Arlington, VA
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 52.867 W 077° 04.346
18S E 320236 N 4305625
Originally the house was approved in 1966...that has since been removed and this district put in its place.
Waymark Code: WM10JW2
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 05/18/2019
Views: 7
County of site: Arlington County
Location of site: Roughly bounded by Sheridan Dr., Ord & Weitzel Dr., Humphreys Drive & Lee Avenue in Arlington National Cemetery
Built: 1803-18
Architect: George Hadfield
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
"First established as a historic site dedicated to the memory of General Robert E. Lee in 1925 by
Congress, control of Arlington House passed from the War Department to the Department of the
Interior's National Park Service (NPS) in 1933. Since taking over management of the Arlington
House property, the NPS has acquired additional land surrounding the mansion and has
completed several restoration efforts. In 1955, Congress officially designated the property a
permanent memorial dedicated to Civil War general Robert E. Lee. 2 Administratively listed on
the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 when Congress enacted the National Historic
Preservation Act, the first nomination form for Arlington House was submitted and accepted by
the Keeper of the National Register in 1980. Since that time, registration requirements have
changed; the park boundary of"Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial" has changed;
and voluminous additional research and documentation has been completed.
"This National Register Nomination update expands the historic district boundary to incorporate
significant non-NPS-owned federal property that has important historical associations with the
house and domestic core of the historic Arlington estate. In addition, the nomination updates the
information provided in the 1980 nomination by introducing expanded periods and areas of
significance, defining and justifying the new boundary, and providing additional description of
the resources and landscape features that contribute to the historic and architectural significance
of the place. Context is provided for the areas and periods of significance identified in Section 8.
"The 1980 nomination established the property as the 27.9 acres that, at that time, the National
Park Service managed. The present nomination retains the original boundary and adds to it. The
boundary increase adds approximately 3.1 acres to the existing National Register boundary for a
total acreage of 31 acres. The 1980 listing defined three contributing and two non-contributing
resources within the boundary. Subsequent research and determinations of eligibility defined
other resources that contribute to the property's eligibility, including the Arlington Woodlands
that stands to the north and west of the Arlington House residence. The new boundary
encompasses 18 contributing and 3 non-contributing resources within the district. Ofthe five
resources described in the 1980 nomination, three remain contributing, one has been demolished,
and one has changed status from non-contributing to contributing.
"The Arlington House Historic District is the 31-acre domestic core ofthe estate that George
Washington Parke Custis and Mary Fitzhugh Custis built in the early 19th century, and that
Robert E. Lee, and his wife Mary (Custis) Lee called home until the outbreak ofthe Civil War in
1861. The district encompasses the Custis' imposing, Greek-temple-like dwelling house, two
dependencies that housed slaves along with various domestic service functions, and the historic
setting, which includes both designed and vernacular landscapes. These landscapes consist of
gardens, a wooded ravine to the west, and important distant views and vistas stretching to the
east. The district also encompasses elements that illustrate the creation and early 20th century
development of Arlington National Cemetery, as it transformed from a Civil War Union
cemetery into a national place of honor for military veterans. Located in east-central Arlington
County, Virginia across the Potomac River from the District of Columbia, the district sits astride
a high hill overlooking Arlington National Cemetery and the monumental core of Washington to
the east. The district is entirely surrounded by the cemetery, which sprawls across approximately
600 acres of rolling hills planted with groves of trees and crisscrossed by curvilinear drives." ~ NRHP Nomination Form