Hollin Hills House Tour, April 28

The 2018 edition of the Hollin Hills House Tour will be held on April 28. The excursion, which is a self-guided walking tour, promises a look at the distinctive planned neighborhood of Hollin Hills and its collection of midcentury modern architecture.

Hollin Hills is a historic district within Alexandria, Va., and comprises 483 houses–of which 458 were designed by renowned architect Charles Goodman–on a 326-acre plot developed by Robert Davenport. Hollin Hills was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

In its National Register Listing, Hollin Hills is praised for being emblematic of Goodman's contemporary architectural expression:

"The pioneering modem design of standardized modular unit types, the open interior plans augmented by trimless window walls, the economical construction practices with prefabrication and assembly taking place on site, and the amalgamated architectural design and landscape planning reflected Goodman's strong conviction that the traditional and widely accepted Colonial Revival-style house had no place in the twentieth century. The site plan, which celebrated the existing sloping and wooded topography rejected by fellow developers, was undertaken by prolific modernist landscape designer, Lou Bernard Voigt, under the direction of Goodman."

Architectural historian Elizabeth Jo Lampl wrote in her 2004 study for the Montgomery County planning office [PDF] that Goodman's work in planned communities endures for embedding his modernist architectural principles in each project, both individually and as part of the landscapes upon which they collectively sit:

"He made his greatest contributions to the architectural profession by opening up the wall, reinventing the house plan numerous times through innovative floor plan ideas, using nontraditional materials, and unifying the house and its surroundings."

Learn more from Hollin-Hills.org.