Arlington Ridge Road Arlington Ridge Road ( originally known as Mount Vernon Avenue ) is a street through residential areas and business districts in Arlington County , Virginia in the United States . South Arlington Ridge Road is roughly 1 . 5 miles in length and extends from Prospect Hill Park / Army - Navy Drive in the north to Glebe Road and Four Mile Run creek in the south . As it crosses the creek it turns into Mount Vernon Avenue . Arlington Ridge Road was first constructed in 1840 , and formerly extended north through Arlington National Cemetery to Rosslyn , Virginia near Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Potomac River . Arlington Ridge Road was a single street from 1840 to 1966 . After the closure of the central portion of the road , two sections were created : South Arlington Ridge Road , and North Arlington Ridge Road . The northern road began at Lee Boulevard ( now known as Arlington Boulevard ) and proceeded north along what is now Wilson Boulevard to 19th Street North . It incorporated a portion of what was informally known as Oil Plant Road ( also known as " Oil Road " ) . North Arlington Ridge Road was eliminated in the early 1960s when interchanges and connections for the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge were constructed . History of the name . Creating a county . At the time of European encounter , the inhabitants of the area that became Arlington County were the Doeg , an Algonquian - speaking sub - group of the Powhatan tribal confederation . Colonists from the United Kingdom usurped Native American title to the land , and began creating their own political divisions on the area in the 1600s . York County , Virginia , was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1634 , displacing Native American claims to the land . Northumberland County was carved out of York County in 1648 , Westmoreland County from Northumberland County in 1653 , Stafford County , Virginia from Westmoreland County in 1664 , Prince William County out of Stafford County ( and a portion of King George County ) in 1731 , and Fairfax County in 1742 from Prince William County . In 1790 , Congress enacted the Residence Act , which provided for the seat of the United States federal government to be sited on the Potomac River . George Washington chose the site of Washington , D . C . , in 1791 . Subsequently , that portion of Fairfax County consisting of modern Arlington County and the city of Alexandria , Virginia , became part of the District of Columbia . Congress enacted the District of Columbia Organic Act in 1801 . The Organic Act placed the incorporated towns of Washington , D . C . ; Georgetown , D . C . and Alexandria , Virginia , under the direct control of Congress . Unincorporated territory in the District of Columbia north of the Potomac River was organized into Washington County ; that territory in the District south of the river was organized into Alexandria County ( after the town of Alexandria ) . The area would have remained known as Alexandria County had it not been for the creation of Arlington Estate , which lent its name not only to the soon - to - be - built road but also to the county itself . Creating Arlington Estate . In 1774 , John Parke Custis ( oldest heir in a wealthy Maryland family which owned extensive estates ) married Eleanor Calvert ( daughter of one of the richest men in Maryland ) . John and Eleanor Custis lived at Mount Vernon with John ' s mother , Martha Washington , and his foster father , George Washington . The Custises had two children , George Washington Parke Custis ( " G . W . P . " ) and Eleanor ( " Nelly " ) Custis . John purchased an tract of forested land on the Potomac River north of the town of Alexandria in 1778 . John Parke Custis died on November 5 , 1781 . His widow , Eleanor , married Dr . David Stuart in 1783 , and the Stuarts moved to Mount Vernon where George and Martha Washington helped to raise G . W . P . and Nelly . Under the terms of Custis ' will , George Washington received a life estate in two - thirds of Custis ' property . G . W . P . would inherit only upon Washington ' s death . The remaining one - third went to Martha Washington . George Washington died on December 14 , 1799 , and G . W . P . inherited his father ' s estate . Martha Washington died in 1802 , allowing G . W . P . to inherit the rest of his father ' s property as well as nearly all of George Washington ' s holdings as well . This included what later became the Arlington estate . G . W . P . moved out of Mount Vernon and into an existing four - room house on some marshy flats on the Potomac River estate . In 1802 , G . W . P . began construction on the north wing of Arlington House . He named his new estate " Mount Washington " after his foster father . Custis ' estate consisted of highly varied topography . Near the river , the land was flat and lush . But about inland , a ridge ran roughly parallel to the shoreline . Another or so beyond the ridge , the land rose sharply by nearly to reach the Virginia uplands . Mount Washington was too small to be self - supporting as a working farm , so Custis sought to make Arlington into a family seat — complete with a large park , a forest , and gardens . Farming occurred primarily on the lush lowland by the river , where G . W . P . engaged in experimental farming and animal husbandry . G . W . P . put 57 African slaves to work building log cabins for themselves on the lowlands and working the farm . From 1804 to about 1840 , Custis worked to create what he called " the Park " . Patterned on the English landscape park , " the Park " was bordered by the carriage drive on the south , native forest on the north , uplands and the house on the west , and the ridge in the east . In late 1803 or early 1804 , Custis hired local architect George Hadfield to design the remainder of his mansion on the hill . Construction had already begun on the south wing of the mansion by this time , so Hadfield contributed mainly to the center section . Unfortunately , the central part of the mansion remained unbuilt until 1815 due to a lack of funds . On July 7 , 1804 , G . W . P . Custis married Mary Lee Fitzhugh , daughter of one of the wealthiest landowners in northern Virginia . Shortly after their marriage , the Custises began to refer to their estate and home as Arlington rather than Mount Washington — an homage to Arlington in the United Kingdom from whence his family emigrated . Building Arlington Ridge Road . First roads in the area . The first known road through what would eventually become Arlington County was a barely - cleared path through the forest along what is now the Henry G . Shirley Memorial Highway . Created in 1743 , it began near Glebe Road and continued roughly northeast until it reached the ferry landing near what is now Virginia State Route 110 . G . W . P . Custis began operating a ferry between his estate and the growing city of Washington , D . C . , in 1807 . In 1808 , the Washington and Alexandria Turnpike was authorized by Congress , and constructed on Custis ' land near the river bank . This toll road extended from the Long Bridge ( south of the estate ) down to Alexandria . Arlington Ridge Road . In 1840 , Custis agreed to allow a second road to be cut across his land . This road was covered in gravel , rather than dirt like the turnpike . It began in the south near the junction of what is now Virginia State Route 27 and Shirley Highway , and continued in a nearly straight line north - northwest until it reached what is now the intersection of North Fort Myer Drive and U . S . Route 29 . For many years , this gravel road was known as Mount Vernon Avenue , but it later became known as Arlington Ridge Road after the great estate through which it passed . The nature of Arlington Estate changed abuptly in 1861 . G . W . P . Custis died on October 10 , 1857 , leaving the estate to his daughter , Mary . She had married United States Army officer Robert E . Lee on June 30 , 1831 . At the outbreak of the American Civil War , Robert E . Lee resigned his commission and joined the army of the Confederate States of America . The U . S . Army occupied Arlington on May 24 , 1861 . The estate served as headquarters for a portion of the regional defenses of Washington , D . C . , and the Arlington Line of forts lined the upland : Forts Cass , Craig , DeKalb , Tillinghast , and Woodbury . South of the estate , north of what is now Overlook Park , Fort Albany was built on the side of Arlington Ridge Road . Extensive horse and mule corrals were built east of the road ( near the current Visitors Center and parking lots and the area just south of them ) . In August 1862 , Fort Whipple ( now known as Fort Myer ) was constructed in the northwest part of the estate . Freedmen ' s Village , a housing development for escaped slaves ( " contraband " ) and free blacks , was constructed in May 1863 the very southern part of the estate immediately west of Arlington Ridge Road . East across Arlington Ridge Road from Freedmen ' s Village was Hell ' s Bottom , a site at the foot of the Long Bridge . A horse racing track occupied the bottom . History of Arlington Ridge Road . 1800s . With a desperate need to bury war dead , the United States government authorized the burial of dead at Arlington Estate on June 15 , 1864 , effectively creating Arlington National Cemetery . But not all of the estate was used for burials . Although some burials occurred around Arlington House , most of the dead were buried in what is now sections 27 , 29 , 41 , and 42 in the far northern part of the estate and in sections 1 and 13 ( the " Field of the Dead " ) in the west - northwestern part of the estate . The entirety of Arlington Estate remained under the control of the United States Department of War . About of the estate were not being used by the cemetery , and of this land was being cultivated by former slaves at Freedmen ' s Village , who farmed it as subsistence farmers and grew fruits , vegetables , hay , and grain for consumption at nearby Fort Whipple . In February 1867 , Congress passed legislation requiring all military cemeteries to be surrounded by a fence . Construction immediately began on a fence composed of red sandstone taken from Seneca Quarry in Maryland . This boundary wall was built along Arlington Ridge Road , making the street the " de facto " eastern border of the cemetery . Congress closed Freedmen ' s Village in 1888 and turned the area over to Arlington National Cemetery . This expanded the cemetery ' s boundaries . The boundary wall having not yet been completed , it was now extended along Arlington Ridge Road south to the old estate boundary and then west toward Fort Myer . This construction occurred in fits , and was not complete until 1897 . Washington , Alexandria , and Mount Vernon Railway , a streetcar company , built its East Arlington branch to Arlington National Cemetery in 1895 . Along most of its route , this branch of the streetcar railway traveled parallel to and just east of Arlington Ridge Road . Road ' s role in shaping The Pentagon . Congress turned over the of the old Arlington Estate east of Arlington Ridge Road to the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) in 1900 . This had first been proposed by USDA in 1880 , but nothing came of the request . The USDA Arlington Experimental Farm was constructed on the site , and the lush lowlands remained under the control of USDA until 1940 . By the 1930s , a middle - class black neighborhood known as Queen City had grown up west of Arlington Ridge Road and south of Columbia Pike . In September 1940 , as part of the American mobilization effort prior to World War II , the War Department proposed construction of a massive new headquarters on the site of the USDA Experimental Farm . The original site of the structure was bounded by Arlington Ridge Road and Memorial Drive . This dictated that , for the building to occupy as much land as possible , the new structure should be pentagonal . Secretary of the Interior Harold L . Ickes and United States Commission of Fine Arts chairman Gilmore David Clarke both considered the site inappropriate , and convinced President Franklin D . Roosevelt to not only halve the size of the proposed building but also shift the site to that of the inadequate and dangerous Washington - Hoover Airport ( which the government was trying to close anyway ) . The construction of the Pentagon led to the razing of Queen City . During World War II , additional changes were made to Arlington Ridge Road and the surrounding area . The north end of the USDA Experimental Farm now became temporary housing for women war workers . At first , the southern acreage was used as campgrounds for inductees being trained at Fort Myer . But temporary buildings were soon constructed there , too . They housed the U . S . Army Company Headquarters and leadership of the newly created Women ' s Army Corps , and was later the headquarters of the 10th Cavalry Regiment . In time , the entire former experimental farm became known as the Arlington Cantonment . With the large influx of workers at the Arlington Cantonment and The Pentagon , Congress enacted legislation creating a warren of roads , known as the Pentagon road network , to greatly expand commuter access to and from the area . While Arlington Ridge Road remained connected to Glebe Road , the street was severed from its southern segment by Shirley Memorial Highway . This created North and South Arlington Ridge Road . Elimination of North Arlington Ridge Road . The construction of the Pentagon road network drew most of the traffic away from North Arlington Ridge Road . Additional changes came after 1947 , when Congress appropriated money to purchase the Nevius Tract ( now Arlington Ridge Park ) . This triangular area , bounded today by North Marshall Drive , North Meade Street , and Arlington Boulevard , had been purchased by private individuals in the 1930s to keep developers from building high - rise structures on it . They sold it to the federal government in 1947 . Arlington Ridge Road cut off the eastern third of the tract . In the booming Rosslyn business district , three office buildings were built on the road in the mid - 1960s . But it wasn ' t the integral street it used to be . The road was not removed from Arlington Ridge Park until 1971 . Most of North Arlington Ridge Road was eliminated in the early 1960s when interchanges and connections for the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge were constructed . A short segment of the road just north of North Marshall Drive was turned into an access road for the park . The road was closed June 1 , 1971 , and demolition began shortly thereafter . The closure of that portion of the street north of North Marshall Drive meant that little reason existed for keeping the rest of North Arlington Ridge open . Most drivers no longer used the road to access Arlington Memorial Bridge , preferring to use the highways to the east . A plan to close the road was first raised in early 1966 . Arlington County officials were outraged , and pledged to go to court to stop it . The rationale for closing the road was that Arlington National Cemetery was running out of burial space . It needed to expand into the former experimental farm / cantonment area east of the road , but officials worried that traffic on the road would interrupt the dignity of military funerals and endanger pedestrians . The Army suggested keeping the road open only during rush hour , but later backed off this plan . Since the road was on federal property , Arlington County officials had little say over its closure . The National Capital Planning Commission approved the closure on July 22 , and scheduled it for October 1 , 1966 . Although closed , the road continued to exist at least into 1968 . On February 6 of that year , Martin Luther King , Jr . , Roman Catholic Bishop James P . Shannon , Reverend Ralph Abernathy , Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath , and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel led 2 , 000 people down Arlington Ridge Road in a protest against the Vietnam War . As of 2013 , the cemetery ' s winding Eisenhower Avenue largely follows the path of the straight Arlington Ridge Road . South Arlington Ridge Road . South Arlington Ridge Road remained intact , however , and underwent little change during most of its history . It remained a four - lane street passing through light retail and residential districts in the Arlington Ridge community . The Little Tea House , a local landmark , was located at 1301 South Arlington Ridge Road . It hosted a large number of famous individuals , such as Amelia Earhart , Oliver Wendell Holmes , Jr . , and Eleanor Roosevelt . It opened in 1920 and was demolished in 1963 to make way for an apartment building . The street was heavily traveled despite its largely residential character . In March 1983 , residents of the area petitioned the Arlington County Board to reduce the width of the street from four lanes to two in an attempt to slow traffic . After a brief study , the board approved the experiment on July 9 , 1983 . The four - month test began on August 2 , and ended November 15 . The experiment proved successful , and Arlingon Ridge Road was narrowed to two lanes between South Meade Street and 28th Street South / South June Street , which also allowed for the creation of sidewalks and grass boulevards between the sidewalks and roadway . Current notable structures and cultural mentions . The Gunston Arts Center and Arlington Historical Society Museum are both located on South Arlington Ridge Road . In 1891 , the Hume School was built on Arlington Ridge Road to serve elementary school - age children in the area . It closed in 1956 , but was such a landmark that local citizens successfully petitioned the state to preserve it . The Hume School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in June 1979 . Arlington Ridge Road also plays a part in author Annie Solomon ' s 2006 spy thriller novel " Blackout " , and the opening shots of the 1987 murder mystery film " No Way Out " feature a long helicopter shot that travels along Arlington Ridge Road .