Bellevue Forest
In 1851, the land abutting what is now Military Road was acquired by Gilbert Vanderwerken to pasture a herd of horses that he used for his omnibuses from Aqueduct Bridge to the Navy Yard. One notable physical alteration was made to the landscape during the Civil War, when, in the fall of 1861, Military Road was built to connect Fort Ethan Allen with Lee Highway and forts further down the river. "This road, about three miles long, was laid out mainly through a broken and densely wooded country. In part, it is the Military Road of today, and it was built in three days.
Shortly after the Civil War, a home that would figure prominently in the development of Bellevue Forest was built on Glebe Road. "Bellevue", at 3311 North Glebe Road, was built, in part, of timbers used in the construction of Fort Ethan Allen. The estate extended to the palisades "through a wilderness". The story of the home, which came to be known as Grunwell's Bellevue, is a story best told in the words of its source, Eleanor Lee Templeman:
Just after the Civil War, Lieutenant Alfred Grunwell was stationed at a camp on Minor Hill to the west. One day he became lost in the woods of the Vanderwerken farm while attempting a short cut to Chain Bridge. He emerged from the forest to find himself on the lawn of a house. On the veranda a pretty young lady was reading. With cap in hand, he inquired the way, but added a few caustic remarks concerning the worthlessness of the country through which he had been floundering. It happened that the criticized area belonged to her father, and she promptly took exception to his uncomplimentary remarks. However, her mettle must have been amused and interested the young officer, for he henceforth formed a habit of getting lost at every opportunity. By the time the troops were demobilized, he had acquired an advancement to captaincy and a bride (Jane Vanderwerken). Their children were Charles Grunwell�and John Grunwell�.
Captain Grunwell took Jane to Florida where he was stationed during the difficult reconstruction period. His fairness and popularity in "alien territory" are proven by his subsequent election to public offices in Florida, first as county clerk and then as judge. They returned to Arlington at the time of the death of Mrs. Grunwell's brother Charles Vanderwerken, who had been manager of the family's quarry business. The elder Mr. Vanderwerken asked Judge Grunwell to take over the management, and as an additional inducement provided the home, Bellevue.
It was Charles and John who would one day develop Bellevue Forest. (Charles Grunwell, as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and a member of the site selection Commission for the new courthouse, pleaded to have the courthouse built in its current location rather than in the more populated southern part of the county.)
On December 23, 1938, the Grunwell brothers filed the first plat section for the 120-acre subdivision named Bellevue Forest after their family home. John Grunwell played a leading role in the development, bringing to bear his skills as an architect and surveyor.
Bellevue Forest was platted in eighteen sections over twenty years. Like many post-Depression, pre-World War II subdivisions, it was planned with broad, curvilinear streets. T-intersections and cul-de-sacs were carefully planned. Lot sizes were also large, generally between one-third and one-half acre at a time when most construction was built on 5,000 square-foot lots. It was designed around its natural setting, with irregularly shaped lots and relatively few sidewalks. Large, mature trees were left standing to ensure the feel of “a suburban haven set amidst peaceful natural surroundings.”
As was common in Virginia from the late 1930s onward, covenants were placed to “protect” and ensure “homogeneity” for the first platted section. There were twenty-one (See Appendix IV), and although precise reproductions can no longer be made, they included some of the following prohibitions. There was to be no “use of any temporary structure as a habitation, lot-line fences, noxious things, nuisance to the neighborhood, farm animals, signs and disturbing noise.” Other restrictions were against “businesses and manufacturing establishments, public entertainment, schools, dance halls, resorts, and other public facilities.” Two covenants prohibited apartments. Another sought to control the appearance of the streetscape. ‘No structure shall be built upon or moved onto any lot unless it shall conform to and be in harmony with existing structures in the immediate locality.’ The construction or alteration of any structure was likewise regulated.
No building shall be constructed or erected on the above-described land. Building alterations shall be made only if the specification and plans and the lot plan showing the proposed dwelling location and driveways shall be first submitted to the subdivision owners aforesaid and approved by them. They shall make no changes without the written consent of said owners, and copies of said lot plan and plans and specifications shall have been lodged permanently with them.
The seventh and 15th covenants set minimum lot sizes, initially 6,000 square feet and later 8,000 square feet. The approval of other property owners was required before a lot could be subdivided.
The final mention goes to a covenant typical of the period, one that “followed national convention by reinforcing racial and ethnic homogeneity and set aside Bellevue Forest for mainstream, middle-class families:”
No lot or lots at this moment conveyed, or any interest in it or them, shall ever be used, occupied by, sold, demised, transferred, conveyed unto, or in trust for, leased, rented, or given to African-Americans, or any person or persons of African-American blood or extraction, or to any person of the semantic race, blood, or origin, which racial description shall be deemed to include Armenians, Jews, Hebrews, Persians, and Syrians, except that, this paragraph shall not be held to exclude occupancy of the premises by domestic servants of the owner or owners of said lot or lots, his or their heirs or assigns.
Part of our history, part of our past, the covenants on the original section of Bellevue Forest expired in 1965.
It is thought that the Grunwells made it a policy to file an additional section of the plat only after the majority of lots in the previous section were sold. Two more sections were filed close to the first; Section Two was filed in 1940, and Section Three in 1941. Altogether, these comprised the first 146 lots in Bellevue Forest. A total of 28 houses were completed before the shortages brought by World War II ground residential construction to a halt.
After the war, the Grunwells formed Bellevue Forest Corporation. They hired real estate broker George Mason Green, “a prominent older gentleman and very well received and liked,” as corporation president and exclusive agent. Post-war construction grew gradually. One house was built in 1946, three in 1947, eight in 1948, nine in 1949, and nineteen in 1950. Construction accelerated rapidly in the 1950’s, with 70 houses being built between 1951 and 1953. The plats for Section Four were filed in 1947, and for Section Five, in 1951, they were filed for a total of 199 lots. Covenants for those and all other sections platted after the war were amended to allow “Armenians, Jews, Persians and Syrians” to purchase land. Bellevue Forest Corporation was given decision-making powers previously granted to property owners.
The earliest homes built in Bellevue Forest reflected a number of the styles that enjoyed national popularity at that time: English Tudor, English Cottage, and Colonial Revival.
Also incorporated into the neighborhood was the relatively rare International Style.
The Art Moderne home of 1940 is another of the exciting styles in Bellevue Forest.
Most homes erected in Bellevue Forest before the war were story and a half Minimal Traditional or Basic or Middle Ranch houses.
This Contemporary style Ranch Rambler drew influence from the International style.
Beginning in 1954, development patterns changed in Bellevue Forest. Trees were stripped from the lots, and houses with similar facades and plans were built side by side. Nearly 150 of these houses were built between 1954 and 1958. Although they were identical in appearance, they offered the luxuries of the time. Mr. Gene May was the principal builder of many of the homes in Bellevue Forest during the 1950s. During this period, Bellevue Forest experienced one of the few documented inconveniences during its development — the blasting of the area between it and the Potomac River to make way for the completion of the George Washington Parkway.
Not all, however, were of the same style. Both high-style Contemporary and Split-level plans were incorporated into Bellevue Forest.
By 1958, little open land remained in Bellevue Forest. Thirteen houses were constructed between 1959 and 1993. Few vacant lots remain.
Bellevue Forest has changed little over the years. Houses have been enlarged. Homes have been passed down from generation to generation. New families have arrived. A few new styles have been added to the rich architectural panorama. Efforts to depart from single-family homes or to reduce lot size requirements have met with fierce resistance.
Bellevue Forest is rich in history, takes great pride, and thrives on its natural setting. In many respects, Bellevue Forest has changed little over the millions of years since its natural foundation was laid. It is still hilly, with steep ravines into meandering streams. It is still a forest, and in most cases, houses seem to have been carefully planted among the trees. While many residents of Arlington report seeing deer, foxes, raccoons, opossums, pileated woodpeckers, mice, snakes, and other wildlife during their walks in our county parks, Bellevue Forest residents routinely see all of these in their backyards. It is a neighborhood in which people enjoy living.
Images