2014 Hollin Hills House & Garden Tour Set for Saturday, May 3

UPDATE: Nope, you didn't miss the Hollin Hills House & Garden Tour. The date was changed from Saturday, April 26 to this Saturday, May 3. 

It only comes around every two years and this year we're in luck. Hollin Hills, the award-winning mid-century modern neighborhood in Alexandria, will host its bi-annual House & Garden Tour Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.

The self-guided walking tour will showcase stunning examples of mid-century modern architecture and landscape. Ten Charles Goodman-designed properties and three gardens will be opened to hundreds of modern architecture enthusiasts. As 2014 represents the 65th anniversary of the historic neighborhood, the tour will offer a unique opportunity to visit the homes of some of Hollin Hills’ original owners.

The tour will kick off on Saturday morning (not Friday evening, as earlier noted) with a lecture by John Burns, FAIA and Patrick Collins highlighting modern architecture, Charles Goodman’s early works, as well as his other communities in the metropolitan area. The lecture starts at 11 a.m., is free to all ticket holders and will be held at Hollin Meadows Elementary School.

Advance tickets are available for purchase on the Hollin Hills Web site for $25 ($30 on the day of the tour). To learn more about the tour and sponsorship opportunities, visit the Hollin Hills Web site at http://www.hollinhills.net. You can also follow Hollin Hills on Facebook or find them on Twitter.

Hollin Hills architects and interior designers will have a table at 7420 Hopa Court throughout the day to provide an opportunity for our visitors to talk to professionals about mid century modern architecture, landscape architecture, Hollin Hills Homes or design in general.

The Hollin Hills Historic District is a residential neighborhood set within a 326-acre wooded landscape of Fairfax County. Hollin Hills was developed as one of the first post-World War II planned communities in the Washington, D.C. area and one few consisting entirely of modern architecture using natural topography and landscaping as an intrinsic part of the design. The neighborhood was named to the National Register of Historic Places Sept. 30, 2013.

The subdivision plan has irregularly shaped lots that embrace the natural topography, winding streets and cul-de-sacs, and communal parks and woodlands that provide shade, privacy, and outdoor space. The development was intentionally designed to be a part of the landscape, marrying the modern houses with the existing topographical patterns. A product of the Modern Movement, the buildings were created from standardized plans with prefabricated modular elements and window walls that unite the interior with the outdoors.

One of the most identifiable facets of the houses is the contiguous series of floor-to-ceiling, 3-foot-wide window modules, which are free of traditional ornamentation. The foundation of Hollin Hill’s success was the collaborative interpretation of the traditional large-scale merchant building practices by developer/builder Robert C. Davenport and architect Charles M. Goodman.