the archives
There’s a wealth of historical material about Hollin Hills dating back to 1949 — photographs, memoirs, original blueprints and landscape plans, dozens of newspaper and magazine stories, hundreds of past issues of the Hollin Hills Bulletin (which has been published monthly since 1951), and much more.
The archives of the Civic Association of Hollin Hills are held at George Mason University’s Special Collections Research Center; click here for a guide to the collection. More material can be found at the Library of Congress, the National Building Museum, and Harvard University.
On this page you’ll find just a few of the interesting items from those collections; for more, please visit our illustrated timeline of Hollin Hills, which offers a glimpse into the unusual life and times of this historic community.
contents
hollin hills publications
Ten Years of Hollin Hills (1959)
This fascinating 24-page volume, produced by the original settlers of Hollin Hills to celebrate the community’s first decade, features interviews with developer Robert Davenport, architect Charles Goodman, builder C.R. McCalley, and Davenport’s assistant George Brickelmaier.
Hollin Hills: A History Into the Fourth Decade (1984)
This 74-page volume contains detailed essays on architecture and the founding of the community, the results of a 1981 survey, a chronology, a bibliography, and more.
Hollin Hills at Forty (1989)
This 64-page volume includes essays on “maintaining the original concepts” in design, landscape and parks, a 1984-1989 chronology, and the results of a 1989 community poll.
Hollin Hills: Community of Vision (1999)
Hollin Hills: Community of Vision is the definitive book on the architecture, philosophy and culture of one of the most innovative modernist communities in the United States. Originally published in 1999 and now in its third printing, it contains essays on the philosophy of architect Charles Goodman; the unified landscaping; the the integration of midcentury furnishings with the architecture; and much more. Hardbound, 185 pages, with many historic photographs.
Hollin Hills: An Artistic Legacy 1949-1999
This catalogue for a 1999 exhibition highlights the work of some 64 artists who lived in Hollin Hills, including Carl Barnes, Lynne Chytilo, Jerry Clapsaddle, Susan Cohen, Solveig Cox, Barbara Godwin, and many more. An invaluable survey, including biographies of the artists.
The Hollin Hills 50th Anniversary Cookbook (1999)
A collection of “Favorite Recipes of Hollin Hills Gourmets” stretching back to the 1950’s. There are a dozen recipes for cole slaw, and invaluable instructions on how to marinate an entire roast pig. .
early documents and ephemera
Charles Goodman’s “Architect’s Statement” (1949)
In this 4-page document, architect Charles Goodman articulates the philosophy behind his design of Hollin Hills, from the interior layouts to the placement of the houses in a hilly, untouched landscape.
Now That You Are Living In Hollin Hills (1950)
A 9-page document given to the first homeowners by developer Robert Davenport, offering advice on everything from repairs to laundry lines in these new houses.
A 1951 certificate for the Hollin Hills Community Association
According to the original by-laws, “a share in the Association shall be issued for a purchase price of one dollar to the owner of a house and lot in the Hollin Hills subdivision, entitling the owner to membership and to all rights and privileges pertaining thereto.” Read the 1950 by-laws here.
A 1953 brochure for the “exhibit house”
In early 1953, Davenport introduced the No. 2 House with Butterfly Roof at 2208 Marthas Road, with furnishings designed by Knoll Associates and landscaping by Bernard Voigt.
The Goodman Park dedication certificate
The certificate awarded in 1992, the year of architect Charles Goodman’s death, renaming East Stafford Park as Charles Goodman Park.
The 50th Anniversary Gala
The celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hollin Hills in 1999 featured a gala in October, with special guests Robert Davenport, Mrs. Charles Goodman, builder “Mac” McCalley, photographer Robert Lautman, and others.
historic photographs
Gallery: The Lautman Collection
Hired by Robert Davenport, the architectural photographer Robert C. Lautman photographed the early years of Hollin Hills. Lautman’s archives are held at the National Building Museum, which digitized nearly 200 of his Hollin Hills photographs in 2021 and made them available for us.
hollin hills bulletins from the 1950’s
early brochures and advertising
Sales brochure, 1949
This first brochure for Hollin Hills introduces the Unit Type No. 2 — “the first in a series of modern houses” — and promises “homes in tomorrow’s vernacular for everyone’s pocketbook.”
Sales brochure No. 2, 1949
This second brochure describes both the two-level Unit Type No. 1 and the Unit Type No. 2 in some detail, and outlines financial terms and the building plan.
Sales brochure No. 3, 1953
This brochure describes variations to the Unit Type 2, and describes the Unit Type 3. It also lists other Unit Types now available, including 4, 5A, 5B, and 6.
Sales brochure No. 4, 1957
This 4-page brochure introduces three new house models: the Mainline; the Customline; and the Award. It notes that 275 families are already in residence, with plans for 200 more houses, largely in the new area of Hollin Hills.
Alcoa House brochure, 1957
This three-page color brochure introduces the only “Alcoa House” built in Hollin Hills. Designed by Charles Goodman, it makes extensive use of unusual materials and colors, including purple aluminum.
Hollin Hills: American Architecture at its Best, 1958
This 6-page brochure describes the models available — including the Mainline, the Customline, the Alcoa house, and others — and notes that 300 families are now living in Hollin Hills with 150 more homes to be built.
Advertising materials
Advertising in local and national media was a key part of developer Robert Davenport’s sales strategy, especially when a new “section” of Hollin Hills was opened, or a new model introduced. Here’s a gallery of some of the ads.
original sales & construction documents
The 1950 sales contract for a Type 2B42LB house
The original September 1950 contract for a Type 2B42LB house on Marthas Road, between Robert Davenport and Joseph and Rebecca Toner. The contract specifies $2,600 for the lot, $14,450 for the basic house; and another $1,680 for extras.
Floor plans for a Type 2B42LB house (1950)
The two-story 2B42LB design was a variation on the basic Type 2 house, and was developed by Charles Goodman for sloped sites. It’s a longer Type 2 model (“2B4”) of two levels (“2”) with lower bedrooms (“LB”).
Optional extras for a Type 2B42LB house
Hollin Hills houses were designed to be sold as cheaply as possible, but more affluent buyers could add extra windows, fans, electrical outlets, wood siding and other improvements.
hollin hills art
Gallery: The Art of Dennis Carmichael
Over the past few decades, Hollin Hills landscape architect Dennis Carmichael has drawn nearly a hundred portraits of Hollin Hills houses, capturing both the beauty of the architecture and the landscaping. They’ve become iconic representations of Hollin Hills, gracing many community publications.
house + garden tour brochures
The House + Garden Tour brochures
The House + Garden Tour Committee always produces a beautiful brochure for its biennial tour of Hollin Hills. Read the most recent one (2024) here, and see 14 more brochures at the Tour website.
historic preservation documents
The National Register of Historic Places (2013)
The National Register of Historic Places registration form was central to getting Hollin Hills on the Register in 2013. The 121-page form contains a wealth of information about the history and architecture of Hollin Hills.
The Historic Overlay District Guidelines (2022)
The Historic Overlay District Guidelines were finalized in March 2022 as part of the designation of Hollin Hills as an HOD, giving the community added protection from inappropriate development.
Modernism in Washington, DC (2009)
This 20-page brochure on postwar modernist architecture in the Washington, DC area was adapted from a 2009 study prepared for the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office.
landscape documents
Original landscape plans, 1949-1971
In the early days of Hollin Hills, landscape plans for most individual properties were prepared by landscape architects Lou Bernard “Barney” Voigt, Daniel Urban Kiley and Eric Paepcke, who all shaped the look of the community. We have 18 of the plans in our collection; many more are held at the Library of Congress and Harvard University.
Voigt’s instructions on implementing a Hollin Hills landscape plan (1952)
This detailed, 6-page document (first published ias a series n the Hollin Hills Bulletin) by Lou “Barney” Voigt — the original landscape architect of Hollin Hills — contains instructions to homeowners on how to successfully implement the landscape plans he had drawn up for them.
A description of his landscaping approach for a property on Marthas Road by Lou “Barney” Voigt (1953)
This one-page document by Voigt — the original landscape architect of Hollin Hills — outlines his thinking about the landscape design of the Type 2 “butterfly” house on Marthas Road that was used as an exhibition house in 1953.
A House in the Woods: A Landscape Aesthetic for Hollin Hills (1989)
This 60-page booklet, which explores the ideas behind the landscape architecture of Hollin Hills, was written by landscape architect and Hollin Hills resident Dennis Carmichael as part of the community’s 40th Anniversary celebrations in 1989.
The Trees of Hollin Hills (1999)
This 32-page booklet, compiled as part of the Hollin Hills 50th Anniversary, serves as a comprehensive guide to dozens of different species of trees in the community (both in the parks and on private properties), organized by season.