Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Descriptive Summary
Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Records of the Alcova Heights Citizens Association,
1967-2014
RG 369
5 boxes.
English
Alcova Heights Citizens Association
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Records of the Alcova Heights Citizens Association, Collection # RG 369, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Acquisition Information
Gift of Michael Rhode on February 13, 2019.
Historical Information
Alcova Heights is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia, bordered by Glebe Road and George Mason Drive on the east and west sides, and Arlington Boulevard and Columbia Pike on the north and south. Alcova Heights was originally developed by Joseph Cloyd Byars (Alcova is a combination of letters from Al
exandria Co
unty, Va
). Mr. Byars bought a 142-acre farm from the Columbia Land Company in 1921 and sold lots for five cents an acre. The original home on his property was built by John M. Young on what was then called Springhill Farm. He renamed the house Alcova, and it is still located at 3435 8th Street South.
The Alcova Heights neighborhood originally had been part of the Columbia Pike Citizens Association. However, on January 21, 1933, the Alcova Heights Citizen Association (AHCA) was formed as a "forum for community activism and social life" (Anthony B. Toth,
Alcova Heights - A History of our Neighborhood, 2005).
Scope and Content
The files and items donated by the Alcova Heights Citizens Association (AHCA) came in several binders, bags, and file folders. Most valuable for the history of the association are the newsletters (1996-2014) and the neighborhood conservation plans (1967-2013). Of particular interest are three series of files. The first,
Series 6, Arlington Hall, involves the installation of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Army National Guard on the former grounds of Arlington Hall.
Series 8, Arlington Presbyterian Church, involves the Arlington Presbyterian Church, 3507 Columbia Pike, which sold its property in 2016 to the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing to build low-income apartments. Alcova Heights, a neighbor, was asked to weigh in on the possible historic designation of the church to save it from demolition.
Series 7, Columbia Pike Initiative, comprise another important Alcova Heights issue. The Columbia Pike Initiative was established by the Arlington County Board in 1998 "to build a safer, cleaner, more competitive and vibrant community along the entire length of Columbia Pie, from the Pentagon to the Fairfax County line." Areas studied include land use, urban design, historic preservation, parks and recreation, housing and transportation.
Most of the records that make up this collection date predominately from 2000 to 2014, but there are other records that predate this time period, with clippings from as early as 1909. RG 369 is 2.3 linear feet.
Arrangement
Agendas, minutes, and correspondence were found in two binders, organized by the president at the time, ranging from 2000 to 2009. These were designated as
Series 1 and Series 2 with the files retaining the same labels. Series 1 was identified as the files of Robert Dawson; Series 2 is probably the files of Elly Merica but this has not been verified. Files that were found loose in the box were arranged by the archivist in Series 3 in subseries such as History, By-laws, Minutes and Agendas, and other administrative items, and then chronologically.
The newsletters, found separately in the donation, make up
Series 4. There are also newsletters in Series 1 and Series 2 which were retained there. Other items found unfiled were separated into Series 5, Neighborhood Conservation Reports. Three bags containing information about the Federal Government takeover of the former Arlington Hall, the Arlington Presbyterian Church, and the Columbia Pike Initiative comprise Series 6, Series 7, and Series 8. Series 9 contains reports not published by the Alcova Heights Citizens Association but most are of Arlington County origin. Photographs from Neighborhood Night Out events from 1999-2002 are in Series 10 as is a CD-ROM containing digitized images of the photos and other items. Folders containing photographs have an asterisk [*] after the file name. Folders with oversized materials have a double asterisk [**] to denote where material was removed and separation sheets added.
All files except for those in the first two series have labels created by the processor. Folder titles in those first two series were created by the AHCA President.
Adjunct Descriptive Data
Related Material
RG 3, Arlington Hall, Collected Materials, contains material on the history of Arlington Hall as both a girls finishing school and as a federal property. RG 126, Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization Records, has more information on the development of Columbia Pike in the 1980s and 1990s. Finally, RG 334, the J. Cloyd Byars Papers, contains the papers of the founder of Alcova Heights.
Index Terms
Subjects:
Citizens' associations
Community organization.
Neighborhoods.
Alcova Heights (Arlington, Va.)
Arlington (Va.)
Arlington County (Va.)
Contents List
Records of Robert Dawson,
2001-2005
Newsletters,
November 1994, January 2000, 2003-2005
1
Newsletters,
2009-2012
1
"Permanent Documents,"
1994, 2002-2003
1
Traffic Calming,
2004
1
Correspondence,
2004-2005
1
Minutes (Drafts)
2001-2004
1
Events,
2004
1
Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC),
2003-2004
1
History
1
Miscellany,
2003-2004, 2010
1
Records of [Elly Merica?],
2001-2009
Agendas and Minutes,
2006-2008
1
Newsletters,
2006-2007
1
Newsletters,
2008-2009
1
Correspondence,
2007-2010
1
Arlington County Civic Federation,
1997, 2006-2007
1
Arlington County Civic Federation, Bylaws,
2004, and Standing Rules, 2001
1
Glebe Manor [n.d.]
1
Columbia Pike Streetcar,
2006-2008
1
"Alcova Heights - A History of our Neighborhood," Anthony B. Toth,
February 2005
1
Unfiled Items,
1982-2013
History
Alcova Heights History,
1975, 2000, 2004
, n.d.
1
"Alcova and Jenks-Bailey Homestead"
1
By-laws and Policies
By-laws of the Alcova Heights Citizens Association, n.d.
1
By-laws of the Alcova Heights Citizens Association, notes and comments,
2008
1
Use of Association Funds Policy,
June 2010
1
Goal of hte AHCA and Description of Executive Committee, n.d.
1
Meetings, Minutes and Agendas,
1994-2013
(not complete)
Treasurer's Report,
1994-1995
1
Agendas and Minutes,
1995-2013
(incomplete)
1
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Watch Committee,
October 4, 1999, and January 22, 2001
1
Letter of resignation, Robert M. Dawson to Elly Merica,
May 24, 2005
1
Pictures,
2007
(printed on paper from email)
1
Alcova Heights Citizens Association Walking Town Meeting,
May 27, 2008
1
Form Based Code Advisory Working Group,
2011
1
Alcova Heights Civic Association and Barcroft Civic Association, Notes from
June 2, 2011
BRAC Meeting
1
New Hope Housing,
2012
2
Alcova Heights Neighbors and the Arlington County Behavioral Health Care,
January 15, 2013
2
Working Group Plots Strategy, n.d.
2
Membership Lists and Community Directories
Membership List,
1982-1983
2
Alcova Heights Citizens Association Directory,
[2003?]
2
Alcova Heights Community Directory,
2008
2
Traffic
Traffic Engineering,
1997
2
Ad Hoc Committee on Neighborhood Traffic Calming, Final Report,
November 1998
2
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Traffic Calming Committee,
2000
2
Proposed Project Number: 4, (8th Street South),
2009
2
Email on Transportation,
January 31, 2011
2
Other Administrative Items
Arlington Hall, Correspondence,
1986-1989
2
Flyers,
1994-2000
2
Sales Statistics (for homes sold and settled in
2000
)
2
Mailing Routes,
2012
2
Alcova Heights Services, n.d.
2
Miscellaneous Notes, n.d.
2
Newsletters,
1996-2014
Alcova Heights Newsletters,
1996-2006
2
Alcova Heights Newsletters,
2006-2011
2
Alcova Heights Newsletters,
2012-2014
2
Conservation Programs,
1967-2014
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Conservation Program Report,
1967
2
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Conservation Plan, Draft,
August 10, 1998
2
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Conservation Plan, Update
July 1999
2
Arlington's Neighborhood Conservation Program,
August 2002
2
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Survey, 1-10,
2009
2
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Survey, 11-16, 24-28,
2009
2
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Survey, 29, 31-32, 34-39, 50,
2009
3
Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee, Proposed Projects,
December 12, 2013
3
Alcova Heights Neighborhood Conservation Plan,
February 2014
3
Arlington Hall,
1972-2011
Report on Possible Use of Arlington Hall Station (Defense Intelligence Agency) Site by Arlington County for Park and Recreation Programs,
October 25, 1972
3
Policy Statement on County Use for Arlington Hall,
June 1, 1985
3
Arlington Hall,
1985
3
Arlington Hall,
1986
3
"Charting FSI's Course: An Interview with Stephen Low," in Foreign Service Journal,
May 1986
3
Environmental Assessment, Arlington Hall and future site of the National Guard Center,
December 15, 1986
3
Arlington Hall,
1987-1989
3
National Capital Planning Commission,
1988-1990
3
Arlington County Fiscal 1990 Proposed Budget Summary,
1989
3
National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Drawings,
November 9, 1998
**
3
Army National Guard Readiness Center, Correspondence,
2007-2008
3
Army National Guard Readiness Center, Propesed Expansion, Report and Appendices,
February 2008
(on CD)
3
Army National Guard Readiness Center, Proposed Expansion, Revised Draft Environmental Assessment,
March 10, 2008
(on CD)
3
Army National Guard Readiness Center, Proposed Expansion,
2008-2011
3
National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Plan of the Alcova Heights Conservation Area, n.d.
3
Columbia Pike Initiative,
1999-2012
General Land Use Plan, Arlington County,
June 6, 1987
(folded)
3
Columbia Pike Initiative Working Group Report,
February 1999
3
Columbia Pike Revitalization Plan Planning Process,
2000
3
Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program, Process, Criteria and Measures,
March 14, 2000
3
Columbia Pike Initiative, A Revitalization Plan - Final Draft,
January 2002
Volume I
4
Columbia Pike Initiative, A Revitalization Plan - Final Draft,
January 2002
Volume II**
4
The Columbia Pike Special Revitalization District Form Based Code,
February 25, 2003
4
Columbia Pike Street Space Planning Task Force Report,
February 2004
4
Columbia Pike Initiative, A Revitalization Plan - Update
2005
4
Resolution on the Columbia Pike Land Use and Housing Initiative,
2008-2009
4
Columbia Pike Branch Library Possible Move, Columbia Pike Civic Associations Presidents Meeting,
June 10, 2010
4
Columbia Pike Transit Initiative, Community Coordination Committee, Meeting,
October 7, 2010
4
Columbia Pike Residential Traffic Impact Analysis and Transportation Management Plan,
February 10, 2012
4
Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan, Final Report Draft,
April 6, 2012
4
Columbia Pike Transit Initiative,
[2012?]
4
Columbia Pike Initiative Revitalization Plan, Draft (incomplete)
4
Arlington Presbyterian Church, 3507 Columbia Pike
Arlington Presbyterian Church Timeline,
1902-1999
4
Newspaper Clippings,
1909-1934
4
Arlington Presbyterian Church, "Our History,"
July 1985
4
Design Guidelines for a Certificate of Appropriateness and an Administrative Certificate of Appropriateness for the Fraber House, 1612 N. Quincy Street
4
Alcova Heights Citizens Association Neighborhood Vote on Historic Designation of Arlington Presbyterian Church,
January 2014
4
Arlington Presbyterian Church Affordable Housing Team, Presentation to the Congregation,
August 25, 2013
5
Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board,
November 14, 2013
5
Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board,
2014
5
Arlington Heritage articles, n.d.
5
Publications and Reports (non-Alcova Heights),
1981-2008
1981-1983
5
December 1985
5
Summer 1986
5
November 1986
5
Summer 1992, and Summer 1994
5
October 31, 1994
5
Summer 1994, and Fall 1995
5
April 27, 2004
5
October 2005
5
December 10, 2007
5
February 7, 2008
5
Photographs
Alcova Heights Night Out,
August 4, 1998
(negatives)*
5
Alcova Heights National Night Out,
August 3, 1999
(negatives)*
5
Alcova Heights National Night Out,
August 3, 1999
(photographs)*
5
Alcova Heights National Night Out,
August 1, 2000
(negatives)*
5
Alcova Heights National Night Out,
August 1, 2000
(photographs)*
5
National Night Out,
1999 and 2000
, Newsletter Scans and Miscellaneous Documents and Images (CD)*
5