page_title: Clarendon, Arlington, Virginia
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Clarendon, Arlington, Virginia / History
caption_attribution_description: English: This is part of the Howell &amp; Taylor map from 1900 of Arlington, Virginia. Original source: https://www.loc.gov/item/89692758/
context_page_description: Clarendon is an urbanized, upper-class neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia, located between the Rosslyn area and the Ballston area. It was named after Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, a leading statesman and historian of the English Civil War. The main thoroughfares are Wilson Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard.
context_section_description: First platted in 1900 at the top of a hill on the Georgetown-Falls Church Road (now Wilson Boulevard), Clarendon evolved into Arlington County's original "downtown" after the arrival of electric trolleys in 1896.  During the early 20th century, two interurban trolley lines converged in Clarendon a short distance west of today's Clarendon Metro station (see Northern Virginia trolleys).
  One of these trolley lines traveled between Rosslyn and Clarendon along the present routes of Lynn Street, Fairfax Drive and Clarendon Boulevard to a station at the present intersection of Clarendon Boulevard and Washington Boulevard. Metrorail's Orange Line now closely follows this line's former route.
  The other line traveled from downtown Washington, crossed the Potomac River over the Highway Bridge and traveled along Washington Boulevard to reach the Clarendon station. Trolleys from both lines traveled between Clarendon, Ballston and Falls Church along the present routes of Fairfax Drive, I-66 and the Orange Line. Some of these trolleys traveled as far as the towns of Vienna and Fairfax. Like many other interurbans around the country, these lines were to remain in service until the mid-1930s, when they succumbed to the automobile and Depression-era economics.
  The village of Clarendon was named and dedicated March 31, 1900. In 1920, the same year in which Arlington County adopted its name, a movement to incorporate Clarendon as a town was defeated in the courts.
  Over time, Clarendon became Northern Virginia's retail center.  Department stores including J.C. Penney and Sears opened stores in Clarendon, and other retailers extended west along Wilson Blvd and Fairfax Drive to Virginia Square (anchored by Kann's Department Store) and, farther west, the Parkington Shopping Center anchored by the Hecht Company, which was later enlarged and renamed as the Ballston Common Mall.
  Built in 1937, the Arlington Post Office is the first known federal building constructed in the county after the American Civil War that is not within a larger federally-owned property. Previously Arlington's mail was handled in Washington, D.C..  Lobby murals depicting scenes about Arlington history were painted by Auriel Bessemer in 1939.  In 2000, it was named in honor of Joseph L. Fisher, former U.S. representative from Virginia's 10th district.  The building is a designated Arlington County landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  By early 1975, two Vietnamese grocery stores had been opened in Clarendon, and in ensuing years Clarendon came to be known as "Little Saigon". Many Vietnamese refugees immigrated to the Washington D.C., and Arlington, due to the proximity to the nation's capital, and existing social, family, and business connections. This neighborhood was home to commercial uses of Vietnamese grocery stores, restaurants, department stores, cafes, and entertainment to serve the large Vietnamese population. Business was attractive to Vietnamese immigrants in this neighborhood due to the depressed rents during the time of construction of the WMATA Clarendon metro station. Vietnamese restaurants adjacent to Clarendon Metro like Queen Bee, and Cafe Dalat, closed in the end of 2005 and Little Viet Garden closed at the end of 2008. Nam Viet is the only restaurant that remains in 2014.
  Since the opening of the Clarendon Metro station in December 1979, Clarendon has become well known for its eclectic mix of unique shops, trendy bars, and small restaurants. More recently, luxury apartments, office buildings and upscale chain stores have been constructed and gentrified the area, although some of the original businesses do remain.  The former Sears store's parking lot and automotive department, briefly considered as a site for a Home Depot, was developed as a mixed residential/commercial project that now includes townhouses, luxury apartments, and national chain retail stores.
  At least a half dozen restaurants closed in 2016.
caption: Map from 1900 by Howell & Taylor, showing Clarendon in Arlington, VA
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