Colonial Village, built in 1936, was the first apartment complex built in Arlington during the Great Depression. Located near
the shopping area of Clarendon and the County's government center in Courthouse, it has long served as a popular residence
for Arlingtonians. In the 1970s, Colonial Village was purchased by Mobil Land Corporation and was considered for significant
redevelopment. The residents of Colonial Village came together to save their homes, and various committees were formed to
list the complex as a local, state, and national historic district. On December 5, 1978, Colonial Village earned its historic
designation and continues to be an important landmark in Arlington.
RG 325 is made up of materials collected and created by Brian H. Ford, a resident of Colonial Village. This collection dates
from 1936 to 2004, with the bulk of materials situated in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and measures .83 linear feet. Most
of these materials relate to the efforts of residents and the Colonial Village Preservation Committee to add Colonial Village
to the National Register of Historic Places and as a local historic district, which can be found in Series 2, Colonial Village Preservation Committee. Series 5, Historical Research , contains Ford's outside research on Colonial Village, focusing on its pre-1970 history. There are also several folders of
newspaper clippings from the 1970s that mention Colonial Village and a few personal materials about Brian Ford and his Colonial
Village home. There are seventeen black and white photographs of the complex taken in 1978 and several maps.
This collection is arranged into ten series arranged by subject and type of material. Material within each series is sorted
chronologically. Series 1, Correspondence , has two subseries: from the Arlington County Board to Colonial Village, and Colonial Village to residents. Folder titles
are created by the processor; any portion of a folder title in quotes ("") reference a title to a report or article.
File 1: Colonial Village Preservation Comittee Bylaws and Letterhead, n.d.
Box 1
File 2: Colonial Village Preservation Committee Correspondence,
1978
Box 1
File 3: Petitions for Colonial Village as an Historic Site, n.d.
Box 1
File 4: Correspondence relating to National Register of Historic Places for Colonial Village,
1978-1981
Box 1
File 5: Colonial Village National Register of Historic Places Application and Application Materials,
1978
Box 1
File 6: Colonial Village Preservation Committee Correspondence,
1978
Box 1
File 7: Colonial Village Preservation Committee News Releases,
1978
Box 1
File 8: Colonial Village Preservation Committee Bylaws and Contacts,
1978, n.d.
Box 1
File 9: Colonial Village Preservation Committee Publications: Urban Land, Architectural Forum and Record, National Geographic, Mortgage Banker,
1938, 1939, 1948
Box 1
File 10: Arlington County and the National Register of Historic Places Pamphlet,
2001
Box 1
File 11: "Colonial Village: Its Cultural History, Architectural Quality, and Significance" Appendix II,
May 25, 1978
Box 1
File 12: "Colonial Village - The Cultural and Architectural Heritage" Preliminary Report,
May 25, 1978
Box 1
File 13: "Colonial Village - The Cultural and Architecural Heritage" Revised,
November 10, 1978
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