Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Oral History With Robert Beckman
Break Down
1-3 mins- how long family has lived in Arlington/why
3-5 mins- changes in Arlington
5-7 mins- historical landmarks and DC
7-10 mins- the school system
1-3 mins- how long family has lived in Arlington/why
3-5 mins- changes in Arlington
5-7 mins- historical landmarks and DC
7-10 mins- the school system
Boulevard Manor VA Room Follow-Up
Our class visited the Virginia Room in the Arlington Central Library. The family farm belonging to the Reeve’s family. This was the last dairy farm in Virginia. There were many pictures showing how much the neighborhood had changed. The former farm land is now covered with houses, which were built mostly during the baby boom post World War II. Drastic changes happened in a short time, which leads me to believe this community is not done changing.
Oral History With Rose Nicholas
Break Down
1-4 mins- Early life, why family moved to arlington4-8 mins- what has changed
8-10 mins- How Arlington compares to other places
10-12 mins- improvements in the school system
Arlington Mill Community Center
The Arlington Mill Community Center was built around 1965. Before this building became Arlington Mill, it was a Safeway. The first picture is where Arlington Mill was originally located, which is on Columbia Pike in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood. It was recently demolished, and is now just an empty parking lot with a pile of dirt and dust. It is now going to be renovated. All of it's programs are located in different areas around Arlington for the mean time. For example, the high school continuation program is located in NOVA's campus in the Ballston area. The new renovated Arlington Mill is predicted to be done by 2013.
Oral History of Arlington by Andy Barr
Andy Barr has been an outstanding citizen of the Arlington Community for More than 60 years. He is a national hero as well. He served in the military and fought in the Korean war. Any Barr is also an exceptional humanitarian. He has used his success as a realtor to help the needy. He has remained very active as an alumni of Washington Lee high school by donating to many clubs and sports in our school. He has lived in Clarendon for over 50 years. I want to thank Mr Barr for giving up some of his time to share his amazing story. It was truly an honor.
Breakdown of the video
From the beginning to 2:30: Talks about himself and career in the army. Talks about how he started his real state business in Arlington.
Breakdown of the video
From the beginning to 2:30: Talks about himself and career in the army. Talks about how he started his real state business in Arlington.
From 2:30 to 4:35 : Talks about how it was like to live in Clarendon in the fifties and his high school years in the forties.
At 4:35: Talks about segregation.
5:25 to 13:15: First moving to Arlington and what that was like. Time in elementary school in Arlington. What life was like in the depression. Talks about moving around the nation and what the nation was like during that time and how segregation was different in different parts of the nation.
13:15 to 15:35: Time at Washington Lee
15:40 to 19:00: Time in the military. Segregation in the military.
19:30 to 22:40: Depression in Arlington and then racism in Clarendon.
23:00 to 24:10: Places of historical importance. Real estate business in Clarendon.
24:20 to the end: What he wanted to add to the interview. His success in the Army. His career as a businessman. Time on the debate team in Washington Lee.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Interview Bios
Marilyn Faris Scholl- Interviewee number 1.
This is my mother. She has been in Arlington for 25 or 26 years. And through out this interview we discuss things such as the attractions of Arlington, and some of the negative aspects as well. We discuss the benefits of living so close to the Nation's capitol and we also discuss things such as driving and transportation accessibility. We discuss things such as the metro system, the bus system, traffic congestion, and bike trails. We also talked a lot about the weather here in Arlington, how it has changed and/or hasn't changed much over the years, and how people manage to deal with the climate changes. We also discussed how she would recommend people to live here, if they can afford it. She believes it is a great place to raise a family. We also focused a lot on the cost of housing and how buildings have been sprouting up a lot more in Arlington.
Hunt Allard- Interviewee number 2.
This is a very good friend from church. He grew up in Arlington and still lives here today. He now has one daughter who is an 8th grader at Williamsburg Middle School. Hunt graduated from Washington-Lee High School in 1978. In our interview we focused a lot on the metro systems and on the bike trails and accessibility of Arlington. He said that he loves living here and is extremely grateful that his parents decided to move here in the 50s/60s. He says he loves being close to D.C. and loves using the bike trails a lot, since he and his family are all avid bikers. We talk a lot about the public school systems in Arlington, and how he himself is a public school graduate from Arlington, and he highly recommends all the schools. He also would just highly recommend anyone to live here in Arlington, anyone who can afford it. There is just so much to offer, attraction wise, and the people are generally very very nice to be around.
This is my mother. She has been in Arlington for 25 or 26 years. And through out this interview we discuss things such as the attractions of Arlington, and some of the negative aspects as well. We discuss the benefits of living so close to the Nation's capitol and we also discuss things such as driving and transportation accessibility. We discuss things such as the metro system, the bus system, traffic congestion, and bike trails. We also talked a lot about the weather here in Arlington, how it has changed and/or hasn't changed much over the years, and how people manage to deal with the climate changes. We also discussed how she would recommend people to live here, if they can afford it. She believes it is a great place to raise a family. We also focused a lot on the cost of housing and how buildings have been sprouting up a lot more in Arlington.
Hunt Allard- Interviewee number 2.
This is a very good friend from church. He grew up in Arlington and still lives here today. He now has one daughter who is an 8th grader at Williamsburg Middle School. Hunt graduated from Washington-Lee High School in 1978. In our interview we focused a lot on the metro systems and on the bike trails and accessibility of Arlington. He said that he loves living here and is extremely grateful that his parents decided to move here in the 50s/60s. He says he loves being close to D.C. and loves using the bike trails a lot, since he and his family are all avid bikers. We talk a lot about the public school systems in Arlington, and how he himself is a public school graduate from Arlington, and he highly recommends all the schools. He also would just highly recommend anyone to live here in Arlington, anyone who can afford it. There is just so much to offer, attraction wise, and the people are generally very very nice to be around.
Community Archives
Follow Up:
The item of interest is the Safeway on Wilson Boulevard. It is closest to the intersection of Wilson and George Mason Drive. This Commercial Area is also filled with a few small restaurants, one of which includes McDonalds (big surprise). Recently the little shopping center has been renovated. And there has been a lot of talk and discussion about renovating the Safeway as well. The parking lot for the Safeway right now is very large. Almost twice as big as the Safeway itself! A lot of controversy has come up about if that parking lot should stay the way it is or if things should be added to it. Many people think it is a “waste of space”. Others think it could benefit to build something there for the nearby school, Arlington Traditional School, which is located right across the street. And finally, other views are that the parking lot should be left the way it is now, because it is used for many different things. Many people park there when shopping (obviously) and many different events are sometimes held there. Also many families and teens come there to learn how to drive. The neighborhood of Bluemont definitely benefits from the parking lot as it is right now. I personally don’t think there is any need to change anything in regards to the parking lot or the Safeway. But one article that was found in the Virginia Room had a lot to say about the Wilson Boulevard Commercial Area, which includes plans to change the Safeway. Mainly just renovate the building, since it has been there for a long time, but also to cut back the parking lot a bit, to add grassy areas or a park area. I personally think this might be a nice idea, but the construction for it would not be very good. Because knowing Arlington constructions, it could take a very long time, and therefore could potentially stop people from shopping there for a long time. Which would only be a hassle, since the main benefit of that Safeway is the convenience of having it so close. But the Virginia Room itself has many things that anyone would find interesting. There are tons of maps, articles, books, and other historical artifacts in there that can be great for research for any school project, or just for personal interest. I found using the Virginia Room to be very useful for this particular project and I would recommend it for anyone doing a similar history project on the area.
http://www.arlnow.com/2011/04/28/bluemont-civic-association-mulls-development-plan/
The item of interest is the Safeway on Wilson Boulevard. It is closest to the intersection of Wilson and George Mason Drive. This Commercial Area is also filled with a few small restaurants, one of which includes McDonalds (big surprise). Recently the little shopping center has been renovated. And there has been a lot of talk and discussion about renovating the Safeway as well. The parking lot for the Safeway right now is very large. Almost twice as big as the Safeway itself! A lot of controversy has come up about if that parking lot should stay the way it is or if things should be added to it. Many people think it is a “waste of space”. Others think it could benefit to build something there for the nearby school, Arlington Traditional School, which is located right across the street. And finally, other views are that the parking lot should be left the way it is now, because it is used for many different things. Many people park there when shopping (obviously) and many different events are sometimes held there. Also many families and teens come there to learn how to drive. The neighborhood of Bluemont definitely benefits from the parking lot as it is right now. I personally don’t think there is any need to change anything in regards to the parking lot or the Safeway. But one article that was found in the Virginia Room had a lot to say about the Wilson Boulevard Commercial Area, which includes plans to change the Safeway. Mainly just renovate the building, since it has been there for a long time, but also to cut back the parking lot a bit, to add grassy areas or a park area. I personally think this might be a nice idea, but the construction for it would not be very good. Because knowing Arlington constructions, it could take a very long time, and therefore could potentially stop people from shopping there for a long time. Which would only be a hassle, since the main benefit of that Safeway is the convenience of having it so close. But the Virginia Room itself has many things that anyone would find interesting. There are tons of maps, articles, books, and other historical artifacts in there that can be great for research for any school project, or just for personal interest. I found using the Virginia Room to be very useful for this particular project and I would recommend it for anyone doing a similar history project on the area.
http://www.arlnow.com/2011/04/28/bluemont-civic-association-mulls-development-plan/
Arlington History During the 1960s and 1970s
Arlington began to develop commercially during the 1960. This is when Roslyn and Cristal City began to develop and redevelop and become more commercial. Office buildings, car dealerships, hotels, and high rise apartments were built. The development of these more urban areas increased even more when the metro rail system was built between the late 1970s and mid 1980s. The Arlington County government had worked to keep moderate- income housing in these urban areas and low density commercial areas. The police division in Arlington also improved during the 1960s, they created better training education for them.
Information from: Arlington Virginia
http://www.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/learn/snapshots/urban_arlington_county.html
Taken From:Arlington Historical Society. Images of America Arlington. Charleston: Arcadia, 2000.
Westover Follow-up
Westover stayed a farmland until the 1890s, where the first electric railways were built. This then started up more expansion and the population began to grow. As more people came, the Walter Reed Elementary School was built in 1938, which is actually where I went to preschool, only a lot of years later. In the same year, Arlington County was approved of 120 more acres of land to build more multi-family apartments, which transitioned Westover from farmland to more commercial. Now, Westover still has the same family-owned businesses but the main change that the county made recently is that they tore down the old library and part of the Walter Reed Elementary School-but kept the exterior of it to preserve the history-and combined it with the library. Other than that, Westover has still managed to preserve its original history.
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