note that this is a recommendation and that these classifications are subject to change pending more in-depth analysis and evaluation of the proposed district and its potential for designation .
POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT POSTWAR SUBDIVISIONS
Arlington ’ s remarkable growth during the postwar period largely shaped its current built environment . While the town has late nineteenth century roots , the period from 1945 to 1960 marked an era of intense change and growth that corresponded with larger , national trends . The city ’ s postwar character makes it a representative example of the dramatic changes the postwar period produced throughout the United States . Arlington ’ s transformation from a regionally significant center of trade to a large , suburban community was both spurred by and reliant on postwar industry and the proliferation of the automobile . Military contractors and automobile makers — two primary contributors to nationwide postwar economic prosperity — located in and near Arlington created an enormous housing demand .
The FHA ’ s role in financing both home buyers and large-scale developers prompted the agency to produce standard neighborhood planning guidelines to guarantee their investments . One such design concept was the curvilinear street plan / layout . The layout became the standard of both sound real estate practice and local planning . Design concepts and community planning ideas are fluid and reflect their timely context . Within Arlington , they also reflect the growing influence of coordinated planning on the part of the city . Although zoning had been in place since the 1920s , the postwar period provided unprecedented opportunities to implement broad planning concepts on a scale unheard of before . Greater reliance on planning and zoning led to increased standardization that led to a more homogenous character throughout the city ’ s neighborhoods . Arlington ’ s postwar neighborhoods contain , to varying degrees , features such as :
• A planned neighborhood with a short development period indicating a speculative single developer ;
• Distinctive community features and plat layout that are part of the marketed home purchase package ; and
• Proximity to an institutional , commercial , or industrial focal point or a major transportation route .
Keeping these design concepts in mind , the survey team undertook its documentation and assessment of Arlington ’ s 199 postwar subdivisions . The field survey noted that the majority of these subdivisions were located in north and south-central Arlington . Additionally , it appeared that the more elaborate postwar homes were sited in neighborhoods that were located west of Center Street , while the more modest neighborhoods were near the GM plant . Using a survey data sheet that was designed specifically for this phase of the project , the team recorded each subdivision ’ s salient physical features and photographed a representative sampling of residences within each subdivision . Once all the documentation was completed , the survey team compared the subdivisions and evaluated the relative architectural , planning , and / or historical significance and the potential for historic district designation for each of the identified areas . In total , the survey team recommends 26 HIGH priority , 45 MEDIUM priority , and 128 LOW priority subdivisions . The following table is an inventory of the subdivisions documented during the current survey effort .
FINAL REPORT
ARLINGTON HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2007
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