the architecture
hollin hills: the visionary architecture of charles goodman
by stephen brookes
From “architectural laboratory” to award-winning community, Hollin Hills has left an indelible mark on the modern American landscape.
Hollin Hills, it’s fair to say, is not the most glamorous place on the planet. For all its impeccable mid-century style, the community has none of the movie-star splash of Palm Springs, the Miesian cool of Farnsworth House, the iconic majesty of Fallingwater. The architecture here may embody some of the most compelling ideas of modernism – but for most of the year it’s hidden so deeply in the trees that you barely know it’s there.
Yet in its own quiet way, Hollin Hills is one of the great masterpieces of postwar American architecture – thanks largely to Charles M. Goodman, the visionary architect who joined developer Robert Davenport in 1946 to design what they called a “new and unique” community in the woods.
At the time, Goodman was emerging as one of the most inventive architects of his generation: a down-to-earth idealist who wanted to bring better houses to more people for less money. He’d already designed the original National Airport terminal and developed a system of modular construction, and had built several stunning modernist homes.
But Hollin Hills would be what he called his “architectural laboratory” – a place to explore an entirely new approach to housing. And the ideas he developed here would shape architecture across the country.
“A figure of international stature, Goodman's impact can scarcely be measured,” says Richard Guy Wilson, the author of The Making of Virginia Architecture. “His designs formed the basis of the generic Modern American house and school, widely imitated in every part of the country. The result was a body of architecture of great distinction that captured Americans' imagination for many years.”
what’s
new in architecture
innovation and simplicity
For Hollin Hills, Goodman and Davenport threw out the traditional suburban housing playbook. Rather than leveling the wooded hillsides and installing grids of identical houses, Goodman designed a series of affordable, light-filled homes that would sit in, rather than on, the natural landscape. Pared to an elegant simplicity, the houses had long walls of glass to connect them to the outside, and were set at angles to each other to preserve privacy. Open-plan interiors created a feeling of flexibility and space, while the exterior lines were kept clean and unadorned, with ground-hugging profiles and flat or low-slope roofs.
These innovative houses embraced technology as well, particularly in their new “transparent walls,” where the window framing served as part of the structure, enhancing the overall sense of lightness. Spare, stylish and self-effacing, Goodman’s houses seemed to float almost weightlessly in the trees.
modernism for the people
Chris McNamara
But these weren’t high-priced modernist showpieces, like Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House or Philip Johnson’s Glass House. Modern to his bones but also a committed democrat, Goodman developed eight basic “unit type” designs that were all within the financial reach of young families, and kept costs down by using modular construction and non-traditional materials. And, while some of the homes were larger than others, they were all built to sell within a narrow price range, to minimize any differences in wealth or status.
This “modernism for the people” approach won him some disdain from other architects (who dismissed him as “the production house architect”). But for Goodman it was a point of pride.
“I don’t think the profit margin was as strong in my case as a desire to build a nice community” in Hollin Hills, he told an interviewer in 1989. “The best architecture, land planning and landscape architecture that we could.”
an architecture of community
The idea that architecture is about community, not just buildings, was baked into Hollin Hills from the start. Hollin Hills homes don’t exist in isolation from each other – they form a flowing, coherent architectural landscape. They’re unpretentious and human-scaled, yet share a distinctive, instantly recognizable style that unites them.
And the free-flowing landscaping, with few fences or barriers between houses, knits the community into a tightly-unified whole. Even the curving streets, with their ubiquitous cul-de-sacs and (in the original sections of Hollin Hills) lack of sidewalks, were designed to discourage traffic and create a sense of peaceful togetherness among neighbors.
In fact, nearly every aspect of the architecture is aimed at bringing people together. The signature walls of glass erase the very idea of a barrier, and seem to embody “openness” itself – as do the open-plan layouts, which create room for large groups of people to gather. These were houses designed to both encourage community, and to enhance the lives of those who came to live in them.
“I’m interested in civilized architecture,” explained Goodman, looking back on Hollin Hills in a 1984 interview. “The setting that people live in can create the climate … for living as dignified human beings. What we yearn for and need is the flowering of the individual. We deeply need more offbeat personalities, more people with unique interests, more people strong enough to stand unafraid and be themselves. We need them not just in houses but in communities, where their influence can be felt.”
From the moment the first houses were built, Goodman’s architecture generated so much excitement that Hollin Hills began making national news. Featured in House Beautiful in 1950, LIFE Magazine in 1951 and many others over the years, Hollin Hills was also showcased in a 1957 exhibit at the National Gallery of Art as one of “10 Milestones in the Future of America’s Architecture.” Goodman became widely known, and his ideas spread; over 30,000 Goodman-designed homes were eventually built across the country, using the ideas he developed here.
It’s a rich legacy, and a crucial part of American architectural history. But under the pressures of development, many of Goodman’s houses around the country are now gone, and the legacy is disappearing.
Remarkably, though, Hollin Hills – perhaps the purest expression of Goodman’s vision – has remained largely intact. And it’s not just a bunch of individual houses, sitting independently in the woods. Hollin Hills exists as a whole – a community where each house connects architecturally with its neighbors, and reflects the ideals of openness, democracy, independent thinking and human interaction that inspired their design. It’s a remarkable cultural legacy for us to enjoy, and protect for the future.
– Stephen Brookes
preserving the goodman legacy
more in architecture
who was charles goodman?
Architect, philosopher, committed populist — the designer of Hollin Hills left a unique mark on the world.
the restoration of alcoa house
A bold, futuristic Hollin Hills home undergoes a meticulous restoration — and is brought back to its full technicolor glory.
hollin hills: the birth of an idea
Marion Tiger explores how this unique modernist community was launched.
what is midcentury modern architecture?
Michael McGill on the origins of a style.
can architecture save your life?
Kayde Schwabacher on modernist buildings, pandemics, and the promise of a healthier life through architecture.
the finn juhl house in copenhagen
The home — and workplace — of one of the great figures of the “golden age” of Danish Modern design.
architecture resources
a list of the houses in the hollin hills historic district
House type, date built and other information.
the house + garden tour
The bigest modern house tour on the East Coast, the Hollin Hills House + Garden Tour is held every two years. It’s always a blast, and the 2024 tour sold out in ten days — get on the mailing list for the 2026 Tour now!
the hollin hills historic preservation guidelines
A complete guide from the ARB.
the life and work of charles goodman
An excellent, in-depth overview of Goodman’s work, prepared by architectural historian Elizabeth Jo Lampl as part of the Hollin Hills application for the National Register of Historic Places.
charles goodman: architect’s statement
The architect of Hollin Hills explains, in his own words, the philosophy behind his designs.
early hollin hills brochures and sales contracts
Developer Robert Davenport published sales brochures between 1949 and 1958, describing the new house models as they were released; see them in this section. Also in this section: a complete set of sales, construction and landscaping documents for a 1950 Hollin Hills house.
modernism in washington, dc
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.
david morton: heart of glass
This excellent article on Charles Goodman’s architecture — and personality — appeared in the Washington City Paper in 2003. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in Goodman — or in Hollin Hills.
brochure for the 1953 exhibit house
For the first Hollin Hills House and Garden Tour in 1953, a new home design with a butterfly roof was unveiled — and was furnished by Knoll Associates with adventurous new furniture. Here’s the original brochure.
the historic overlay district designation
In 2022, Hollin Hills was designated an “Historic Overlay District.” What does the HOD designation mean for homeowners — and for the preservation of Charles Goodman’s architecture?
gallery: the architectural drawings of dennis carmichael
Superb drawings of many Hollin Hills homes by landscape architect Dennis Carmichael.
at the corcoran: a discussion of the architecture of hollin hills (video)
Architect, author, and native of Hollin Hills Michael Sorkin joined landscape architect Dennis Carmichael and historian Heidi Nasstrom Evans for a 2012 panel on the history and influence of Hollin Hills. Well worth a look.
modernist links
Modernism is everywhere — check out these amazing places to explore, from Ville Savoye to Philip Johnson’s Glass House.