Tauxemont Historic District
Also known as: VDHR File No. 029-5199
Why it's listed
Tauxemont is a wooded residential community about three miles south of Alexandria, Virginia, started in 1941 by a group of government employees building affordable homes together. Its roughly 100 original houses were built in three sections. Most are one-story concrete block houses with low-pitched gable roofs, designed by architect Alexander Knowlton and later extended by developer Robert Davenport. Houses were angled on their lots to preserve trees and hillside contours, and the neighborhood never added sidewalks, curbs or streetlights. Shared facilities include community wells, a preschool and community building, tennis courts and a ball field. Ten houses in the third section are prefabricated aluminum, a postwar attempt to convert wartime factories to housing. In the late 1940s several owners hired architect Charles Goodman to design glass-filled additions, which anticipated the Hollin Hills development. The district was listed for its community planning and Modern Movement architecture between 1941 and 1955.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is significant for community planning because the houses were sited to disturb the natural contours and tree cover as little as possible. It is also significant for architecture as an early expression of the Modern Movement, including ten prefabricated aluminum houses from the postwar housing effort. Additions by architect Charles Goodman link it to the later Hollin Hills development.
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 06000033, listed February 9, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bet. Ft. Hunt Rd. and Accotink Place, inc. Shenandoah, Tauxemont, Namassin, Westmoreland and Gahant Rds. and Bolling, Alexandria |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfax (city and county) |
| Listed | February 9, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000033 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1941-1955 |
| Architect / builder | Robert Davenport, Alexander Knowlton, Charles Goodman |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a residential community, with a school, sports facilities and park; the original wells remain functional. |
| Acreage | 50 |
| Coordinates | 38.74616, -77.05466 (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 06000033.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713288
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.