Arlington Designates Cambridge Courts as Historic District

Cambridge Courts

ARLINGTON, VA—Cambridge Courts, a condo project that was built during World War II as an apartment complex, has been designated a historic district in Arlington. The designation, made at the request of the Cambridge Courts Association Board of Directors in 2014, means that any renovations to the complex must be done according to specific guidelines. The designation also means that the property, which is located at 2401-2813 Arlington Blvd., cannot be torn down with this designation. According to the County Board, three condo owners objected to the designation with the rest in favor. Built in 1943, the complex was originally named Leehigh Apartments. It was a typical example of the development underway in the Washington DC area at that hectic time. With the city and surrounding suburbs flooded with workers coming to work on defense projects and other efforts to support thee war, the federal government quickly built complexes such as Cambridge Courts to house them. The complex consists of 20 buildings with 159 one-and-two-bedroom units. In 1984, the complex was converted into a condominium. With the designation, a zoning overlay is in place that requires a design review process and approval from the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) for any exterior changes to the complex. HALRB has been nominating historic buildings, sites, and districts to the County Board for consideration and designation as local historic districts since 1978. To date, 36 buildings and sites have been designated as Arlington Historic Districts – including three garden apartments with Cambridge Courts. The two other properties are Colonial Village, which was built in 1934, and Buckingham Village, built between 1937 and 1953. Colonial Village and Buckingham Village are larger complexes and were built under a different federal program. The HALRB approved Cambridge Court’s designation at an Oct. 21, 2015 public hearing and the Planning Commission approved the designation and design guidelines in mid-January.