Walter Reed Gardens Historic District

Walter Reed Gardens, also known as the Commons of Arlington, is a garden apartment complex in the Columbia Heights area of Arlington County, Virginia. Built in 1948 on about five acres, it groups eighteen brick buildings into four clusters around open courts, with the largest being a U-shaped court on South 13th Road. The buildings follow the Colonial Revival style, with American bond brickwork, wood door surrounds, pedimented entrances, and 6/6 and 8/8 double-hung windows. It was first designed with 147 one-bedroom units to attract single veterans and childless couples returning after World War II. A condominium conversion in 1982-1984 reconfigured the interiors into 134 units and later added a swimming pool, the only non-contributing resource. The complex was listed for its role in community planning and development and as a representative example of FHA-influenced garden apartments built in Arlington between 1934 and 1954. Its low buildings, moderate density and landscaped grounds set it apart from more urban apartment forms.