The Historic Febrey-Lothrop-Rouse Estate
The Febrey-Lothrop estate survived the Civil War, multiple owners, twentieth-century alterations, and its demolition, and still remains an important part of Arlington's history.
The Febrey-Lothrop-Rouse estate survived the Civil War, multiple owners, twentieth-century alterations, and demolition and remains an important part of Arlington's history.
John E. Febrey (1831-1893) came from a distinguished family known for its success in real estate and farming. The original Febrey home was built around 1855. Census records indicate that five enslaved people lived on the estate. During the Civil War, thousands of Union soldiers camped on the property, including two future presidents, Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley (both serving with the Ohio 23rd Infantry).
According to the 2009 'Traceries Report' (a study of residential and commercial structures of note in Arlington commissioned by Arlington County), the following facts are known about this unique historical site:
- The original property consisted of about 250 acres located at the crest of Upton’s Hill (now known as Upton Hill) in the western part of what was known as Alexandria County along the Georgetown-Falls Church Road (today’s Wilson Blvd).
- Following his 1855 marriage to Mary Frances Ball, John E. Febrey built their house.
- Pencil sketches and drawings made by Union soldiers encamped on the site captured the house's distinctive design. It was an L-shaped structure, three bays wide.
The Febrey's house was well known to both Confederate and Union soldiers. It was used as a hospital, and Union soldiers wrote that it contained graffiti from soldiers on both sides.
According to local author and historian Charlie Clark, the family established a private school in a cabin on the estate. After the Civil War, Febrey served as Arlington County's first Superintendent of Schools.
The Febrey property was purchased in 1898 by Alvin Lothrop, a partner and co-founder of the successful regional department store chain Woodward and Lothrop. He named the estate “Fairmount.” Lothrop was responsible for enlarging and substantially remodeling the main dwelling and the associated outbuildings (carriage house and barn with tower).
Lothrop hired Victor O. Mindeleff as the chief architect for the new construction. Mindeleff was born in London, studied at the Emerson Institute in Washington, D.C., and was known for his work as an architect for the U.S. Life-Saving Service (the predecessor to the U.S. Coast Guard).
Mindeleff typically incorporated different architectural styles, including Queen Anne, Shingle, and Colonial Revival. This often resulted in eclectic buildings. At the Febrey-Lothrop House, the porticos, wrap-around porch, dormers, square-butt wood shingle cladding, and the construction of the octagonal tower on the barn were reflective of Mindeleff’s previous work. Mindeleff’s other notable designs in the Washington metropolitan area include George Washington University’s President’s Office in Washington, D.C. (1892) and the original design of Glen Echo Park in Maryland.
During World War II, the Lothrops leased their house to Howard Hughes, the eccentric founder of Trans World Airlines (TWA). Hughes reportedly hosted extravagant parties at the house, entertaining guests such as the glamorous movie star Jane Russell and the former owner of the Washington Redskins, George Preston Marshall.
In 1951, Randolph Rouse, a Northern Virginia real estate developer, purchased all the existing buildings, including the main house, and the remaining 26 acres (Among many other large-scale projects, he was the developer for the Seven-Corners Shopping Center on Leesburg Pike and Route 50.) He subdivided the Febrey-Lothrop property, selling 16 acres between Wilson Boulevard and 9th Street North to create the Cresthill community.
Rouse was married from 1956 to 1958 to television actress Audrey Meadows, one of the stars of wildly popular TV shows The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show. He was close friends with Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the formerly called Washington Redskins football team. According to his obituary in The Fauquier Times, Rouse was a noted competitor in hunt country and steeplechase horse racing in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. Rouse retained ownership and lived on the property until he died in 2017 at 100.
Following his death, local historians and preservationists attempted to protect the site and buildings from destruction and development. Unfortunately, the estate was sold for future growth. All of the structures on the site (about 11 in total) were demolished in March 2021.
Sources:
1. “Eleventh Phase of an Architectural Survey” Final Report. Prepared by E.H.T. Traceries, Inc. 1121 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20001. Laura V. Trieschmann, Principal Investigator for Arlington County, Virginia Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, July 2009. P. 169 ff.
2. Clark, Charles S. “The Manse on Wilson Boulevard”: The Arlington Historical Society Magazine, September 2011, P. 20-27.
3. Templeman, Eleanor Lee, Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County, Avenel, 1959
4. The Fauquier Times, “Sportsman, Business Impresario Randolph 'Randy'; Rouse dies at 100” Vicky Moon and Leonard Shapiro, Apr 8, 2017 Updated Jun 8, 2017
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