Article Text
A sweeping survey of Fairfax County’s postwar architecture has identified dozens of modernist properties that may qualify for historic recognition, as demolition and redevelopment threaten buildings that have received little preservation attention.
Prepared by Dovetail Cultural Resources Group, the study examined eight potential historic districts and 143 individual properties. The sites—mostly built between 1950 and 1985—include homes, businesses, government facilities, schools and houses of worship representing several branches of Modern architecture.
The survey recommends 43 resources as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Another 37 require further study, while 71 were deemed ineligible.
Adriana Moss, a Dovetail supervisor and cultural resource specialist, said Fairfax County has an unusually large concentration of modern buildings, some of which have disappeared or face redevelopment before their historic importance can be documented.
One notable loss was the American Press Institute Conference Center. Designed by modernist architect Marcel Breuer and completed in 1974, the building was demolished for redevelopment in 2016.
Fairfax County was selected for the survey in 2022 through an initiative to identify cultural and historic resources. County officials said the research will help preservation planners evaluate modern places for architectural or historical significance.
Among the residential sites is Eleanor Dulles’ 1953 home on Spring Hill Road in McLean. Dulles, an economic specialist who helped develop the Marshall Plan, hosted gatherings there with her brothers, CIA Director Allen Dulles and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.
Because the private property was inaccessible, researchers relied on views from the public right-of-way and aerial photographs. The survey said more investigation would be needed before determining whether it qualifies for historic listing.
Commercial examples include Bowlero in Annandale, originally constructed as the Annandale Bowling Alley in 1960. Its design combines New Formalism with Googie, the futuristic style associated with the Atomic Age. Researchers described it as one of Fairfax County’s few Googie-inspired buildings.
An unlikely modernist example stands at 11850 Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston, where a Popeyes occupies a former Burger Chef restaurant built in 1972. Designed by regional firm Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolf, the building is distinguished by its Shed-style architecture.
The survey found that Burger Chef departed from its standard corporate design at the Reston location, hiring a nationally recognized architecture firm to create a restaurant suited to the surrounding community. It was the chain’s first location to break from its usual cookie-cutter format.
The Culmore Community Library in Bailey’s Crossroads, formerly called the Woodrow Wilson Library, also made the list. Built in 1965, it may possess significant artistic value as the work of a master architect and an outstanding example of its style or building type.
Researchers also found concentrations of modern buildings that could qualify collectively as historic districts. Lake Barcroft was among the communities identified as having enough Modern architecture to warrant consideration.
Moss said preservation efforts have traditionally centered on older styles such as Federal, Georgian, Greek Revival and Queen Anne architecture, often constructed from wood, stone or brick. Modern buildings are newer and consequently less studied, she said, even though many residents pass them every day without recognizing their architectural significance.