Hollin Hills is a neighborhood in Hybla Valley, Virginia, though much of the neighborhood was transferred to the Fort Hunt CDP for census purposes before 2010. It abuts the Villamay and Mason Hill neighborhoods, just south of Alexandria in the South Alexandria section of Fairfax County, Virginia. Designed by Charles M. Goodman and developed by Robert C. Davenport in the 1940s, it was one of the Washington, D.C. area's first post-World-War-II developments. Its roughly 450 houses brought contemporary construction to northern Virginia. Today, the neighborhood is known primarily for its mid-century modern architecture, which remains very cohesive because of a design review committee that advises on building or modification of existing houses. The Hollin Hills Historic District is a 326 acres residential neighborhood encompassing 468 contributing buildings, five contributing sites, and three contributing structures.
History
Davenport intended the name "Hollin Hills" as a variation of the 18th-century Hollin Hall Plantation, originally owned by George Mason, one of the founding fathers, known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights." General Mason named his lands after an English estate of his mother's family. Some of the Hollin Hall plantation buildings still stand on Sherwood Hall Lane. He hired D.C.-based architect Charles M. Goodman and landscape architect Dan Kiley to design the community. They chose to design each home with lots no smaller than one-third of an acre. During construction, many trees were retained to block sight lines, and houses were built at angles to ensure privacy. The popularity of the homes, which feature huge expanses of glass, established Goodman as a nationally acclaimed guru of modern architecture. Davenport named some streets to complement the community name, while others were named after family members: Martha's Road for his mother and Rebecca Drive for his daughter. Elba Road was named after one of his prize bulls.
Over the decades, Hollin Hills has attracted artists, architects, politicians, lawyers, doctors and numerous other individuals typical of the metropolitan DC region. Notable residents include former CBS newsman Eric Sevareid, former U.S. Representative James G. O'Hara, United StatesSenator Pat Roberts, musician Gil Scott-Heron, singer Roberta Flack, architect Michael Sorkin and the production designers for Mad Men, Dan Bishop and Jeremy Conway.
