The catch-all FALLS CHURCH defining thread (Merrifield, Dunn Loring: townhouses, neighborhood, construction)

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by cdmurphy

If I was going to move back over there, I would live in 22043 again, right where I lived before. (Not the same house, though, what a dump.) It was a mile from West Falls Church Metro and a little more than a mile to East Falls Church Metro. Good school district, close to major roads, nice area overall.

Speaking of which, I guess Pimmit Hills/22043 is most accessable to West Falls Church Metro? I suppose that and 22406 on that side of the city of Falls Church. That alone seems like it would be a big pull to the area.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by JEB77

22042 is a mix of comparatively small SFHs and garden apartments that is bisected by Route 50 (Arlington Boulevard). It's the part of Falls Church where the most Vietnamese currently live (even though Eden Center is in 22044). No one really calls it "Jefferson," though there is a county library with that name in 22042. There are some nice neighborhoods, but there aren't any really affluent areas there, such as you'd find in the other Falls Church zip codes. People who don't want or can't afford a big, newer house increasingly seem to be attracted to some of the older neighborhoods of Cape Cods in places like Greenway Downs.

This is also interesting. I have researched some of the Asian demographics, and Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) seems to be a nucleus for that community. I mean, residentially with Vietnamese...not sure about businesses in the area.

Interesting that Eden Center is 22044, which I guess would be closer to Lake Barcroft...I always associated Eden Center with the city of Falls Church....guess my mental visual placement of it is off.

[bmwguydc]

The Eden Center is at Seven Corners. It's actually closer to the border of the City of Falls Church than it is to Lake Barcroft, but it's not far from either area, nor from part of Arlington. Wilson Boulevard at Routes 7 and 50 is the location of Eden Center, behind Koons Ford dealership on Route 7, with entrances from Wilson and Roosevelt. Eden Center is roughly across Route 50 from Seven Corners Center, but there is another center between them that borders Wilson and the north side of Route 50.

[guyincognito]

This thread is timely... I've been looking at houses in the 22042 and 22043 zip codes recently. I saw some old threads where people have inquired about 22042 but I'm wondering if anybody has an update on where that area is generally trending, specifically between 29 and 50? I saw certain parts that looked pretty nice, but if you drove over a block things would be pretty marginal. The house flippers are out in droves picking up foreclosures and fixing them up, making them livable. The prices are also decent. I'm just not that comfortable being the most expensive house on the block, lest the neighborhood be on the downswing and not the up. Is there a lot of public housing in the area?

[brooklynborndad]

"so the vehicles are not a characteristic of multi-family dwellings, just of some families who have several cars, which is not exactly a unique phenomenon in this region."


No. Though one would expect that a neighborhood where parking 3 or more vehicles is particularly difficult, will tend to attract fewer households interested in having 3 or more vehicles, than other neighborhoods with otherwise similar demographics. If that is the case (I have neither counted vehicles while visiting, nor consulted Census data) that would make LB slightly MORE appealing to me.

"Some of the houses are Bauhaus-inspired, which is a style that one loves or not. Part of the issue is that when done on a high-level, they can be fantastic houses, but when watered down, as was the case with FLW's Usonian houses, that formed the basis for Gropius et al to begin the Bauhaus movement, some design elements are there, but the overall plan is lacking when compared to the larger scale interpretation of the style, IMO."

First of all, IIRC there were a number of influences on the Bauhaus, including Adolph Loos and Otto Wagner, the cultural criticism of Karl Kraus, the Chicago School (which preceded FLW - Louis Sullivan et al). To the extent it was FLW, it was not the Usonian houses.

The Usonian houses were built starting in 1936.

The Bauhaus was founded in 1919. The Bauhaus was closed in 1933, under pressure from the Nazis.

As for LB, I do not recall exactly how large the house I was in was. It was not a small house, but not nearly as large as houses I have been in Great Falls, and elsewhere around here. The family had older children. It was a striking, wonderful looking house, inside and out. I do not know to what extent issues like closet space made it less practical to live in than other houses around her of similar price range. Perhaps that family simply chose to accept the tradeoff, I do not know.

[bmwguydc]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

"so the vehicles are not a characteristic of multi-family dwellings, just of some families who have several cars, which is not exactly a unique phenomenon in this region."


No. Though one would expect that a neighborhood where parking 3 or more vehicles is particularly difficult, will tend to attract fewer households interested in having 3 or more vehicles, than other neighborhoods with otherwise similar demographics. If that is the case (I have neither counted vehicles while visiting, nor consulted Census data) that would make LB slightly MORE appealing to me.

"Some of the houses are Bauhaus-inspired, which is a style that one loves or not. Part of the issue is that when done on a high-level, they can be fantastic houses, but when watered down, as was the case with FLW's Usonian houses, that formed the basis for Gropius et al to begin the Bauhaus movement, some design elements are there, but the overall plan is lacking when compared to the larger scale interpretation of the style, IMO."

First of all, IIRC there were a number of influences on the Bauhaus, including Adolph Loos and Otto Wagner, the cultural criticism of Karl Kraus, the Chicago School (which preceded FLW - Louis Sullivan et al). To the extent it was FLW, it was not the Usonian houses.

The Usonian houses were built starting in 1936.

The Bauhaus was founded in 1919. The Bauhaus was closed in 1933, under pressure from the Nazis.

As for LB, I do not recall exactly how large the house I was in was. It was not a small house, but not nearly as large as houses I have been in Great Falls, and elsewhere around here. The family had older children. It was a striking, wonderful looking house, inside and out. I do not know to what extent issues like closet space made it less practical to live in than other houses around her of similar price range. Perhaps that family simply chose to accept the tradeoff, I do not know.

I was referring to the importation of the Bauhaus movement in the US with Gropius, not the German origins -- TAC in Cambridge when Gropius and Breuer left Germany to teach at Harvard. The development of the modern ranch house, particulary mid-century in this country can trace its roots to Frank Lloyd Wright, who had invented the carport concept that is common to the 1950s modernist movement.

As with many houses of this vintage, there are trade-offs, and many houses that are revered by architects now were awful in which to live. Barcroft's houses were a happy medium for the era, between the design aesthetic and livability, but IMO, and those of people I know in them, they do lack some modern features. I have friends in them, and have relationships where they will discuss features like that, since it would not be something I would expect to come up in normal conversation. Closet space did not become as much of an issue until later, particularly because most women did not have the need for a professional wardrobe. It's a minor annoyance, but the people I know have to share their chilrens' closets, because the master bedroom closets are lacking in space.

Regarding cars, it's not whether or not people choose to have cars for a particular lifestyle, but it's a part of life, even with one child: Mother, father, teenager -- 3 cars, more if there are more children, or an au-pair. My comment was that this detracts from the simplicity of the housing to see the landscape cluttered with cars, not parked in garages or carports. Families do not generally have one vehicle in a carport, and some of the smaller lots are more challenging. It defeats the purpose of the design movement whose large windows were meant to let light and vistas into the house, not look at 4,000lbs of German SUV.

[brooklynborndad]

"a part of life, even with one child: Mother, father, teenager -- 3 cars, more if there are more children, "

there are great many people in NoVa who make do with less than one car per licensed driver. Perhaps not in LB, I do not know.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

I was referring to the importation of the Bauhaus movement in the US with Gropius, not the German origins -- TAC in Cambridge when Gropius and Breuer left Germany to teach at Harvard. The development of the modern ranch house, particulary mid-century in this country can trace its roots to Frank Lloyd Wright, who had invented the carport concept that is common to the 1950s modernist movement.

I rather think that Gropius would have come to the USA, and designed Bauhaus architecture, even if FLW had never lived, let alone if he had not designed the Usonian houses.

As for the modern ranch house, that is one aspect of mid century modernism, but I dont usually think of it as the defining building of that movement.

I also rather suspect that if FLW hadnt come up with it, someone would have. Its sort of a natural compromise between a full garage, and no garage.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

Merrifield is really a separate area from Falls Church, as the Beltway divides the area. On Route 50, Fairview Park separates the areas near the Jefferson Library and Falls Church High School, with some large commercial buildings, and some townhouse/condo developments closer to the Lee Highway entrance to Fairview Park. It's a series of overpasses, such that there's no integration of walking/biking trails, either on Route 50 (Arlington Boulevard) or Route 29 (Lee Highway). The new focus in Merrifield is to create a live-work-shop-Metro relationship within the area, itself, but of course there will be shops and restaurants to attract people from neighboring Falls Church, just as it will attract from Fairfax and Vienna, too, when completed.

Merrifield sounds like something interesting is going on...but it still sounds like something you have to drive to, right?

Although a series of overpasses...so some people could walk over there from the nearby Falls Church greater area? Or is that overpasses and in roads that go over the highway..as opposed to walkways?

[normie]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Merrifield sounds like something interesting is going on...

It'll be interesting to see how this project turns out. I'd love to see that part of town revitalized.

Right now, it's (IMO) one of the most blah sections of Nova. It's safe, it's inexpensive, but there's almost zero community spirit, no sense of neighborhood, not much in the way of things to do, and it's not a place for walking. IMO, a lot of the people who live there want a cheap place to stay for a short time and don't really care what the neighborhood's like.

But.... the new center may turn all that around. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it goes.