{"nrhp_refnum":"08000064","name":"Monroe Courts Historic District","other_names":["000-4105"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"1041-1067 N. Nelson and 1036-1062 & 1033-1055 N. Monroe Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Arlington","county":"Arlington County","state":"VA","lat":38.88529466350005,"lon":-77.1046577067246,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-02-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential district of four groups of Colonial Revival-style brick row houses, 39 dwellings on about 2.35 acres along North Nelson and North Monroe streets in the Ballston-Virginia Square neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, built in 1938.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion C as a planned row house development serving the growing middle-class commuter population of Washington, D.C. It contrasts with the surrounding freestanding houses and is one of the few surviving row house developments in Arlington County, where zoning banned new row houses from June 1938. Its modest Colonial Revival design uses varied roof forms to give variety within uniform rows.","narrative":"Monroe Courts is a group of 39 two-story brick row houses arranged in four rows along North Nelson and North Monroe streets in Arlington, Virginia. Built in 1938 for middle-class commuters to Washington, D.C., the houses were designed by architect John Cobb for developer Clarence W. Gosnell in a restrained Colonial Revival style. Variety comes from alternating front-gable, false gambrel and false side-gable slate roofs, while door surrounds and symmetrical facades supply the style's character. Some rows have pedimented center houses with blind fanlights. The development matters because row houses were unusual in a suburb of mostly freestanding homes, and Arlington County began prohibiting them through zoning in June 1938, soon after permits were issued here. It remains one of the few such developments in the county. Replacement windows, awnings and rear additions have been made over time, but the original form, scale and materials are largely preserved. Three modern sheds are the only noncontributing resources.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect John Cobb; developer Clarence W. Gosnell","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Colonial Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as single-family dwellings; some replacement windows and small rear additions, but integrity is described as intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.62978-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_AL/08000064.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000064/c5f993258e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000064/c5f993258e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"KudzuVine","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monroe_Courts,_Arlington,_Virginia.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">KudzuVine</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monroe_Courts,_Arlington,_Virginia.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/77834751","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Courts_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712872"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/arlington-county/monroe-courts-historic-district-08000064/"}