Clarendon, Arlington, Virginia | |
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 Downtown Clarendon | |
 Interactive map of Clarendon, Arlington, Virginia | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |  Virginia |
| County |  Arlington |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Founded by | Robert Treat Paine, Jr. |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 22201 |
| Area code | 703 |
Clarendon is a neighborhood in northernArlington County,Virginia. It is located along an urban corridor that follows theOrange andSilverMetro lines, and is generally bounded by 13th Street North, North Kirkwood Road, 9th Street North, and North Danville Street.
Clarendon was founded in 1900 as astreetcar suburb of nearbyWashington, D.C. It served as a popular shopping district as Arlington County's population expanded during the first half of the 20th century. Following the end of theVietnam War and a decline in Clarendon's commercial district,Vietnamese migrants established anethnic enclave in Clarendon, which lasted into the 1980s. The completion of theClarendon Metro station in 1979 drove significantdensification and redevelopment of Clarendon's urban environment that continues in the 21st century. Today, Clarendon has become awalkable,mixed-use community with shopping, dining, and nightlife amenities.
The origin of the name "Clarendon" is uncertain, but it has been speculated that Robert Treat Paine, Jr., Clarendon's founder, sourced it fromEdward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, a leading statesman and historian of theEnglish Civil War.[1] It is also possible that Paine took it from Clarendon Street in his nativeBoston.[1]
During thecolonial era, the land that comprises modern Clarendon was part of the largerNorthern Neck land grant. William Struttfield ofWestmoreland County, Virginia purchased 500 acres of this property in 1709 fromThomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.[2] The land passed through a series of owners during the 18th and 19th centuries, includingGeorge Mason and his sonJohn.[3] One of them, Robert Cruit, operated adairy farm withenslaved labor between 1847 and the earlyCivil War. Cruit's farmhouse still stands in present-dayLyon Village.[4]
Around the turn of the 20th century, Robert Treat Paine, Jr. purchased part of the original parcel andplatted Clarendon in 1900.[5] In partnership with local real estate firm Wood, Harmon, and Company, Paine advertised the community to potential homeowners as an attractive suburb near toWashington, DC. As was common inJim Crow-era Arlington County, Clarendon is known to have hadracially restrictive covenants during this period that excludedAfrican Americans and other minority groups from purchasing property.[6]
Clarendon's prospects were boosted by the presence of two converginginterurban trolley lines that were part of the largerWashington and Virginia Railway system. It expanded rapidly, and by the 1920s had a variety of public facilities, including anelementary school. The Clarendon Citizens Association, formed in 1912, made a failed attempt at incorporating Clarendon as an independent town in 1920.[7] Development continued regardless, and by the 1930s Clarendon was surrounded by new subdivisions includingLyon Village,Lyon Park, andAshton Heights.[7]
As Arlington's population grew with the influx of Federal workers during theNew Deal era andpost-war period, Clarendon established itself as Arlington County's primary commercial district. National department store chains, includingJC Penny andSears, began arriving in the neighborhood during the 1940s.[8] The County'sfirst centralized post office, which is listed on theNational Register for Historic Places, was built on Washington Boulevard in 1937.[9]
During the 1960s, businesses began to close due to increased competition from suburban malls, continued migration of residents towards outer suburbs inFairfax andMontgomery counties, and a lack of parking facilities, which undermined Clarendon's attractiveness to shoppers.[8] Clarendon subsequently entered a period of decline.
County officials envisioned a revitalization of struggling commercial centers along theRosslyn-Ballston corridor such as Clarendon via the plannedWashington Metro subway system. Originally set to followInterstate 66, the Metro'sOrange Line was revised to run under Wilson Boulevard after negotiations between theWMATA and the County Board.[10] Pushback from residents on anticipated high-rise buildings resulted in the adoption of the County's "Bull's Eye" model, which locates high-density structures within a walkable distance from the Metro stations while maintaining preexistingsingle-family zoning beyond a specific radius.[10] Construction of theClarendon metro station began in 1974 and lasted until 1979, which necessitated the demolition of an entire block of commercial structures.[11]
Metro construction, along with the pressures already facing Clarendon's business community, resulted in depressed rents. This attracted refugees migrating to the Washington area fromVietnam and other parts ofSoutheast Asia in the aftermath of the Vietnam War; around 5,000 had settled in Arlington by the late 1970s.[12][13] 2 Vietnamese grocery stores, Saigon Market and Vietnam Center, had opened by 1975 along Wilson Boulevard. They were followed by a variety of Vietnamese businesses, including restaurants, jewelers, and stores selling imported textiles and other specialty items.[14]
By 1979, Clarendon became known by names such as "Little Saigon" and "Mekong Delta", and was recognized as one of the largest Southeast Asian commercial centers on theEast Coast.[12][15] It served as an economic and social hub for the region's Vietnamese immigrants, some of whom would travel from states outside of the immediate metropolitan area to visit the community.[12][15] After the completion of Clarendon station on December 1, 1979, Vietnamese businesses were gradually pushed out of neighborhood as landlords increased rents and County officials encouragedredevelopment. By the 1990s, a majority of Clarendon's Vietnamese businesses had closed or weredisplaced to theEden Center in nearbyFalls Church in pursuit of greater affordability.[16]
Following the opening of the Metro station, County planners intended on transforming Clarendon into a walkable, mixed-useurban village.[17] The construction of the Olmsted tower, a 14-story office building with ground floor retail completed in 1987, was framed as the beginning of Clarendon's revitalization,[18] but development slowed during the 1990s.[19]
The 2000s saw accelerated growth: between the years 2000 and 2010, the housing stock in the Clarendon area increased by almost 300%, with population growth skewing towards young adults between ages 25–34.[20] Clarendon also started attracting national chain stores.[21]Market Common (rebranded as The Crossing in 2021), a large residential and retail property, opened on Clarendon Boulevard in 2001 with tenants includingWilliams-Sonoma andPottery Barn.[21] Clarendon has continued to become increasingly urbanized andaffluent, and the neighborhood has acquired a reputation of being expensive.[22]
Clarendon is located in Arlington's northern half. It falls within the urbanized Rosslyn-Ballston corridor along the Silver and Orange Metro lines. The precise dimensions of Clarendon are not defined, and several different sets of boundaries are often used. These include:
Clarendon's high-density buildings generally concentrate around the Clarendon Metro station and the area between Wilson Boulevard and 10th Street N. per Arlington's zoning guidelines.[25] The neighborhoods to Clarendon's immediate north, Lyon Village, and south, Lyon Park and Ashton Heights, are low-density and suburban in character. Court House andVirginia Square lie to Clarendon's east and west, respectively.[26]
As a mixed-use neighborhood, Clarendon has both commercial and residential properties located in close proximity. Its business district has numerous offices, bars, restaurants, cafes, banks, and fitness centers that exist along its main boulevards, such as The Crossing shopping center, which hosts a variety of retailers and dining establishments.[27] It also has an active nightlife scene.[22] Occupants of Clarendon's office buildings include organizations such as theLeadership Institute.
Clarendon's main thoroughfares consist of Wilson Boulevard, Clarendon Boulevard, and Washington Boulevard, which all intersect west of the Clarendon Metro station.
The streetscape of Clarendon has been designed withbike and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, including dedicatedbike lanes[28] and wide sidewalks.[29] Roads and major intersections have been intentionally modified through curb extensions, medians, and other means to improve pedestrian safety.[30] Consequentially, Clarendon has been described as one of Arlington's most walkable neighborhoods.[31]
Clarendon has 3Capital Bikeshare stations located on Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards, Fairfax Drive, and 10th Street N.[32] Beyond the Orange and Silver Lines, Clarendon is also served by the followingMetrobus andArlington Transitbus routes:[32]
Clarendon hosts local and County-wide events each year, including Clarendon Day, an annual street fair organized by the Clarendon Alliance that features local musicians, businesses, restaurants, and non-profits,[33] and the Arlington Festival of the Arts along North Highland Street and Washington Boulevard.[34] Clarendon has also been the location of theArmed Forces Associated Cycling Classic's Clarendon Cup race since 1998.[35]
Local historians and non-profits have organized walking tours of the history of Clarendon's "Little Saigon" to commemorate the former Vietnamese enclave's origins and eventual displacement.[36][37]
Clarendon has several small parks, including:
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