Alcova Heights is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia, bordered by Glebe Road and George Mason Drive on the east
and west sides, and Arlington Boulevard and Columbia Pike on the north and south. Alcova Heights was originally developed
by Joseph Cloyd Byars (Alcova is a combination of letters from Al
exandria Co
unty, Va
). Mr. Byars bought a 142-acre farm from the Columbia Land Company in 1921 and sold lots for five cents an acre. The original
home on his property was built by John M. Young on what was then called Springhill Farm. He renamed the house Alcova, and
it is still located at 3435 8th Street South.
The Alcova Heights neighborhood originally had been part of the Columbia Pike Citizens Association. However, on January 21,
1933, the Alcova Heights Citizen Association (AHCA) was formed as a "forum for community activism and social life" (Anthony
B. Toth, Alcova Heights - A History of our Neighborhood , 2005).
The files and items donated by the Alcova Heights Citizens Association (AHCA) came in several binders, bags, and file folders.
Most valuable for the history of the association are the newsletters (1996-2014) and the neighborhood conservation plans (1967-2013).
Of particular interest are three series of files. The first, Series 6, Arlington Hall , involves the installation of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Army National Guard on the former grounds of Arlington
Hall.
Series 8, Arlington Presbyterian Church , involves the Arlington Presbyterian Church, 3507 Columbia Pike, which sold its property in 2016 to the Arlington Partnership
for Affordable Housing to build low-income apartments. Alcova Heights, a neighbor, was asked to weigh in on the possible historic
designation of the church to save it from demolition.
Series 7, Columbia Pike Initiative , comprise another important Alcova Heights issue. The Columbia Pike Initiative was established by the Arlington County Board
in 1998 "to build a safer, cleaner, more competitive and vibrant community along the entire length of Columbia Pie, from the
Pentagon to the Fairfax County line." Areas studied include land use, urban design, historic preservation, parks and recreation,
housing and transportation.
Most of the records that make up this collection date predominately from 2000 to 2014, but there are other records that predate
this time period, with clippings from as early as 1909. RG 369 is 2.3 linear feet.
Agendas, minutes, and correspondence were found in two binders, organized by the president at the time, ranging from 2000
to 2009. These were designated as Series 1 and Series 2 with the files retaining the same labels. Series 1 was identified as the files of Robert Dawson; Series 2 is probably the files of Elly Merica but this has not been verified. Files that were found loose in the box were arranged
by the archivist in Series 3 in subseries such as History, By-laws, Minutes and Agendas, and other administrative items, and then chronologically.
The newsletters, found separately in the donation, make up Series 4 . There are also newsletters in Series 1 and Series 2 which were retained there. Other items found unfiled were separated into Series 5, Neighborhood Conservation Reports . Three bags containing information about the Federal Government takeover of the former Arlington Hall, the Arlington Presbyterian
Church, and the Columbia Pike Initiative comprise Series 6 , Series 7 , and Series 8 . Series 9 contains reports not published by the Alcova Heights Citizens Association but most are of Arlington County origin. Photographs
from Neighborhood Night Out events from 1999-2002 are in Series 10 as is a CD-ROM containing digitized images of the photos and other items. Folders containing photographs have an asterisk
[*] after the file name. Folders with oversized materials have a double asterisk [**] to denote where material was removed
and separation sheets added.
All files except for those in the first two series have labels created by the processor. Folder titles in those first two
series were created by the AHCA President.
File 1: Report on Possible Use of Arlington Hall Station (Defense Intelligence Agency) Site by Arlington County for Park and Recreation
Programs,
October 25, 1972
Box 3
File 2: Policy Statement on County Use for Arlington Hall,
June 1, 1985
Box 3
File 3: Arlington Hall,
1985
Box 3
File 4: Arlington Hall,
1986
Box 3
File 5: "Charting FSI's Course: An Interview with Stephen Low," in Foreign Service Journal ,
May 1986
Box 3
File 6: Environmental Assessment, Arlington Hall and future site of the National Guard Center,
December 15, 1986
Box 3
File 7: Arlington Hall,
1987-1989
Box 3
File 8: National Capital Planning Commission,
1988-1990
Box 3
File 9: Arlington County Fiscal 1990 Proposed Budget Summary,
1989
Box 3
File 10: National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Drawings,
November 9, 1998
**
Box 3
File 11: Army National Guard Readiness Center, Correspondence,
2007-2008
Box 3
File 12: Army National Guard Readiness Center, Propesed Expansion, Report and Appendices,
February 2008
(on CD)
Box 3
File 13: Army National Guard Readiness Center, Proposed Expansion, Revised Draft Environmental Assessment,
March 10, 2008
(on CD)
Box 3
File 14: Army National Guard Readiness Center, Proposed Expansion,
2008-2011
Box 3
File 15: National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Plan of the Alcova Heights Conservation Area, n.d.
Series 8: Arlington Presbyterian Church, 3507 Columbia Pike
Box 4
File 1: Arlington Presbyterian Church Timeline,
1902-1999
Box 4
File 2: Newspaper Clippings,
1909-1934
Box 4
File 3: Arlington Presbyterian Church, "Our History,"
July 1985
Box 4
File 4: Design Guidelines for a Certificate of Appropriateness and an Administrative Certificate of Appropriateness for the Fraber
House, 1612 N. Quincy Street
Box 4
File 5: Alcova Heights Citizens Association Neighborhood Vote on Historic Designation of Arlington Presbyterian Church,
January 2014
Box 5
File 6: Arlington Presbyterian Church Affordable Housing Team, Presentation to the Congregation,
August 25, 2013
Box 5
File 7: Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board,
November 14, 2013
Box 5
File 8: Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board,
2014