Point of Interest: Lyon Park Community House

The motto of the Lyon Park Community Center at its creation, stated in its constitution, is, "A social, civic and recreative center: so democratic as to attract the humblest: so wholesome as to appeal to the exclusive: so broad in scope as to bring youth maturity and old age into closer companionship to the benefit of all."

The article below describes how the community center continues to have a greater role in the civic life of the citizens as of September 16, 1938. The article describes how the center was used for the meetings of several organizations including the Arlington Civic Federation, the Lyon Park Citizens' Association, and the Lyon Park Woman's Club.

The community center was developed by realitors Lyon and Fitch. The money to build the house was contributed by the members of the Lyon Park Community Center Committee, who each donated around $25.

The debt created by the building and establishment of the community house was finally paid off in 1938, after which they decided they should begin renovations on the center. The Lyon Park Community House is currently planned to undergo

renovations in 2011 to 2012.

Lyon Park Documentary

Interview with Lyon Park Resident

Interview with Lyon Park Resident

Interviews with Lyon Park Residents

Elizabeth Delmar and her family have been residents of Lyon Park for 16 years. Liz was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She attended college, at which she studied fine arts, and met her husband, Marco, there. They originally moved to the neighborhood because Marco's mother passed away and they decided to buy his mother's house; this was the same house Marco had grown up in. Currently, Liz manages the finances of the family business which is music production. Liz participates in the Lyon Park community by helping at the annual Spring Fair and the bonfire every Halloween; in addition, she is the accountant for the upcoming renovation to the Lyon Park Community House. She enjoys the convenience of Lyon Park with its proximity to D.C., shopping, and abundant public transportation. Liz cannot imagine living anywhere else but Lyon Park!


Marlene Mandel and her family have been residents of Lyon Park for about 20 years. Marlene was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended college at Penn State and then moved to Boston, Massachusetts to work, after which she attended graduate school in Texas; she studied public policy. Her interest in public policy brought her to Washington D.C. area. She currently works for a software company that works for the government, developing computer programs for government agencies. Arlington appealed to Marlene because of the proximity to D.C. and the Lyon Park neighborhood appealed because of its convenience to the subway. Marlene was involved developing the reconstruction of North Cleveland Street; she wanted it narrower to slow traffic and grow trees that would overhang the street on both sides. Marlene was also part of the Neighborhood Conservation Commission before she handed the job off to her husband, Elliot. She enjoys that the beauty of Lyon Park, the community, and its convenience to Clarendon. She loves the annual Lyon Park community activities such as the House and Garden Tour, the Halloween Bonfire, and the Spring Fair.

Lyon Park Neighborhood

Lyon Park was developed in the 1920s by an attorney Frank Lyon. Frank Lyon was an attorney for the Interstate Commerce Commission who represented the Pittsburgh Coal Company, the Atlas Portland Cement Company, the Luckenbach Steamship Company, and the American Hawaiian Steamship Company. In 1920, Lyon began to develop the 300 acres of land that became Lyon Park. He donated the land for the community park and dedicated it to his son that was killed in France in World War I.
Two things helped the development of Lyon Park: the trolley/railway and the automobile. These transportation devices helped develop Lyon Park because they connected them to other communities and made trade easier.
At the beginnings of the development of Lyon Park lots with 50 foot frontage were sold to each buyer; the lots were priced from $350 to $500. In order to expedite the development of Lyon Park, Frank Lyon, with his experience as an attorney helped the clients pay their bills and have affordable loans. In 1920, the population was 8,547.

Sources:

"Cyclopedia of American Biography." New Series 28 268-270.

Professor Longstreth, "Historical Analysis of Lyon Park, Arlington County, Virginia." (1988)

Dr. Ramirez, Russell E. Lee. "Neighborhood History Preservation Study, Lyon Park Neighborhood, Arlington, Virginia." (1987)