Parkfairfax, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Parkfairfax is a neighborhood in Alexandria
, Virginia
, United States
, located in the northwestern part of the city near the boundary with Arlington County
. Nearby thoroughfares are Interstate 395
(Shirley Highway
), State Route 402
(Quaker Lane), and West Glebe Road.
The neighborhood consists of 1,684 townhouse
-type condominium
apartment
s in more than 200 buildings on 132 acres (53.4 ha) built in 1941 and 1942 by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
of New York
at the request of U.S. President
Franklin Roosevelt to provide housing near the new Pentagon
. Like the neighboring Arlington County neighborhood of Fairlington
, Parkfairfax is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places
and on the Virginia Landmarks Register
.
The name is similar to those of other Metropolitan Life projects that use a local area name preceded by "park" (e.g., Parkchester
, Parklabrea
, and Parkmerced
) despite the area not having been a part of Fairfax County
since 1801.
Parkfairfax was originally on 202 acres (81.7 ha) and was the only Metropolitan Life project of this type to have no high rise
buildings.
Former presidents Richard Nixon
and Gerald Ford
both lived in Parkfairfax for a time when they were in the United States Congress
. Secretary of State (under John F. Kennedy
) Dean Rusk also lived in Parkfairfax.
From 1977 to 1979, Parkfairfax was renovated and sold as condominium apartments.
provides restaurants, stores, bars, live theater, a cinema, and the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail
trailhead within walking distance for Parkfairfax residents via a pedestrian walkway that crosses the Shirlington Circle interchange with I-395. Nearby shopping can be found at The Village at Shirlington
.
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located in the northwestern part of the city near the boundary with Arlington County
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
. Nearby thoroughfares are Interstate 395
Interstate 395 (District of Columbia-Virginia)
Interstate 395 in Washington, D.C., and Virginia is a 13 mile long spur route that begins at a junction with Interstate 95 in Springfield, Virginia and ends in northwest Washington, D.C. It passes underneath the National Mall near the United States Capitol and ends at a junction with U.S...
(Shirley Highway
Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway
The Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway consists of a portion of Interstates 95 and 395 in the U.S. state of Virginia. Shirley Highway was the first limited-access freeway in Virginia...
), State Route 402
Virginia State Route 402
State Route 402, also known as part of Quaker Lane, is a primary state highway in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. It runs from State Route 420 north to Shirlington Circle, an interchange with Interstate 395...
(Quaker Lane), and West Glebe Road.
The neighborhood consists of 1,684 townhouse
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
-type condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s in more than 200 buildings on 132 acres (53.4 ha) built in 1941 and 1942 by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, or MetLife, for short, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, with 90 million customers in over 60 countries...
of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the request of U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin Roosevelt to provide housing near the new Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. Like the neighboring Arlington County neighborhood of Fairlington
Fairlington, Virginia
Fairlington is an unincorporated neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, located adjacent to Shirlington in the southernmost part of the county on the boundary with the City of Alexandria...
, Parkfairfax is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and on the Virginia Landmarks Register
Virginia Landmarks Register
The Virginia Landmarks Register is a list of historic properties in the state of Virginia. The state's official list of important historic sites, it was created in 1966. The Register serves the same purpose as the National Register of Historic Places...
.
The name is similar to those of other Metropolitan Life projects that use a local area name preceded by "park" (e.g., Parkchester
Parkchester, Bronx
Parkchester is a residential neighborhood geographically located in the south central Bronx, New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 9...
, Parklabrea
Park La Brea, Los Angeles, California
Park La Brea is a sprawling apartment complex in the Miracle Mile District of Los Angeles, California...
, and Parkmerced
Park Merced, San Francisco, California
Parkmerced is the second-largest single-owner neighborhood of apartment blocks west of the Mississippi River after Park La Brea in Los Angeles. It was a planned neighborhood of high-rise apartment towers and low-rise garden apartments in southwestern San Francisco, California, for middle-income...
) despite the area not having been a part of Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
since 1801.
History
High Rise
High Rise is a 1975 novel by J. G. Ballard. It takes place in an ultra-modern, luxury high-rise building.-Plot summary:The building seems to give its well-established tenants all the conveniences and commodities that modern life has to offer: swimming pools, its own school, a supermarket,...
buildings.
Former presidents Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
both lived in Parkfairfax for a time when they were in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. Secretary of State (under John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
) Dean Rusk also lived in Parkfairfax.
From 1977 to 1979, Parkfairfax was renovated and sold as condominium apartments.
Recreation and commerce
The Arlington County community of ShirlingtonShirlington, Virginia
Shirlington is an unincorporated urban area, officially called an "urban village", in the southern part of Arlington County, Virginia, United States, adjacent to the Fairlington area...
provides restaurants, stores, bars, live theater, a cinema, and the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail
Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park
The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park is a popular and unusually-shaped regional park in Northern Virginia. The park's primary feature is the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail , an asphalt-surfaced paved rail trail that runs through densely populated urban and suburban...
trailhead within walking distance for Parkfairfax residents via a pedestrian walkway that crosses the Shirlington Circle interchange with I-395. Nearby shopping can be found at The Village at Shirlington
The Village at Shirlington
The Village at Shirlington opened as Shirlington Shopping Center in 1944, and was the first large shopping center to open in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and one of the earliest in the United States. It is located along Campbell Avenue at the intersection of Shirley Highway and Quaker Lane /...
.