Green Spring
Also known as: VDHR File No. 029-0025
Why it's listed
Green Spring is a historic designed landscape of about 9.5 acres in Fairfax County, Virginia, now part of a public park. Its centerpiece is a brick house probably built soon after John Moss bought the property in 1777, along with a stone spring house, formal and informal gardens, and archaeological remains of an eighteenth-century outbuilding. In 1942 the owners, Belinda and Michael Straight, hired landscape architect Beatrix Farrand and architect Walter Macomber. Farrand laid out a semicircular boxwood-edged garden with granite retaining walls and stone steps leading to garden rooms above a ravine. Macomber added wings to the house and redesigned the interiors in the Colonial Revival style, using woodwork salvaged from a Maryland tavern. The property was listed because it preserves the only known collaboration between these two figures, and Farrand's only Virginia garden. Much of the 1942 plan, including view lines and original plantings, survives under county park management.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues significance under Criterion C in landscape architecture and architecture. The 1942 Colonial Revival redesign is the only known collaboration between landscape architect Beatrix Farrand and architect Walter Macomber, and it was Farrand's only Virginia garden. The late-18th-century brick house is also described as one of the few surviving rural houses of its period in Fairfax County.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 03001089, listed October 22, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4601 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfax (city and county) |
| Listed | October 22, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03001089 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1777; 1942 |
| Architect / builder | Farrand, Beatrix (landscape architect); Macomber, Walter (architect) |
| Architectural style | Colonial; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Part of Green Spring Gardens park owned by the Fairfax County Park Authority; the brick house hosts small public programs on the first floor and staff offices on the second floor, and the grounds serve as a public garden. |
| Acreage | 9.5 |
| Coordinates | 38.82378, -77.15674 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 03001089.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5603225
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.