Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Brian H. Ford Colonial Village Collection, Collection # RG 325, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History

Acquisition Information

Gift of Brian H. Ford.

Historical Information

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.

Scope and Content

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.

Arrangement

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.

Related Material

RG 372, Nnoka Colonial Village Collection

Index Terms

Subjects:

• Apartments -- Conservation and restoration
• Arlington (Va.)
• Arlington County (Va.)
• Colonial Village (Arlington, Va.)

Adjunct Descriptive Data