Clarendon

5 Locations | Curated by Arlington Historical

Arlington has many unique and exciting neighborhoods.

Only Clarendon can claim that it is the county's original downtown. The village of Clarendon was named and dedicated on March 31, 1900. With the recent arrival of electric trolleys, Clarendon became a logical destination for new residences, and local businesses. In 1937, the Arlington Post Office was built.

Auriel Bessemer painted its lobby murals depicting scenes about Arlington's history. In the 1970s, Vietnamese grocery stores and restaurants opened in Clarendon, and the area became known as "Little Saigon." With the opening of the Clarendon Metro station in December 1979, the area has been gentrified with luxury apartments, office buildings, and upscale chain stores. Some original buildings and businesses remain.

Clarendon is still evolving with new restaurants, shops, businesses, and homes. Its unique character, walkability, and charm continue to make it Arlington’s downtown center.

The Clarendon train station was located at the hub of commercial Clarendon, at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and Wilson Boulevard. The station building still stands today at Clarendon Circle. The Washington-Virginia Railway and the Washington & Old Dominion Railway traversed Northern…
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The following story is adapted from "The Echoes of Little Saigon Story Map" Toward the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s, immigration from Vietnam to the United States increased considerably. Before 1975, only about 15,000 Vietnamese immigrants lived in the United States. By 1980, about 245,000…
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Clarendon has a connection with a number of prominent land owners. George Mason, one of America’s founding fathers, and his son John owned much of what is now lower Clarendon until 1830.
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Clarendon School, constructed in 1910 and renamed Matthew Maury School in 1944, represents the evolution of public education in Arlington County. The three-and-one-half-story, Classical Revival-style brick building was designed by noted Richmond architect Charles M. Robinson. Reflecting the…
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