What’s the tallest building in Arlington? And where is it located? That second question is likely the easier one to answer. The tallest building is in Rosslyn, with a host of tall buildings in its skyline. But before we get to the answer of the tallest, I would like to re-visit the history of how Rosslyn evolved into an area that is now known for its distinctive skyline — a skyline that has been featured in movies and television shows “True Lies,” “Captain America,” “House of Cards,” and much more).
The first question might be, what is Rosslyn? Geographically, it is an area in the northeastern corner of Arlington, loosely comprised of various neighborhoods, two civic associations, and a business improvement district. Rosslyn’s history reaches back to the colonial period, when Francis Awbrey opened a ferry business in the 1730s that transported travelers to and from Georgetown. A tavern and inn was established, presaging by over 200 years the coming of the Marriott’s Hot Shoppes diner, and the Key Bridge Marriott. By the 1860s, a farm owned by William and Carolyn Ross provided a name that would be used for the larger area: Rosslyn.
Rosslyn did not attract much development over the next century. By the 1950s Rosslyn had lumber yards, concrete mixing plants, and other industrial uses, with many run-down buildings. The opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge in 1964, and the lack of sufficient office space in Washington, D.C., created an opportunity for the development of Rosslyn. The County Board increased the height restriction from 3 stories to 12 stories, and in 1956 the first 12 story office building was completed, known as the RCA Building.
By the 1970s, the County Board turned to a zoning tool that I might inelegantly define as “horse-trading” between the County Board and developers. In short, the County Board would allow a site to develop with greater height, but in return the developers would have to provide “community benefits.” Those benefits could include the provision of public facilities, such as roads and parks, or even a straight monetary contribution to the County.
In the late 1970s the County Board approved a number of projects that would become the tallest buildings in Arlington, including the Twin Towers that would raise up to 381 feet, with 31 floors. (As an aside, those Twin Towers were once known as the USA Today buildings).
The current heights would never had been reached, and the Rosslyn Skyline would never had achieved its iconic status, if the federal government had its way in the 1979 legal case of United States of America v. County Board of Arlington, Virginia. A lawsuit had been had been filed at the request of Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus, who called the proposed Twin Towers “monstrous”, and said they would “visually deface the skyline surrounding the national monuments.”
In addition to the legal wrangling, political pressure was applied, which came into view during a County Board meeting when the Board Chair, Dorothy Grotos, asked the County Attorney, Jerry Emrich, if the approval of the site plan and an excavation permit could be rescinded. Mr. Emrich succinctly replied, “Virginia law is very clear that the Board can’t change its mind.”
The County prevailed in the lawsuit. In the ensuing decades, many more high-rises have been approved and built, with various types of community benefits provided. This takes us to the answer of the question about the tallest building in Arlington: it is the Central Place Tower, located at 1201 Wilson Boulevard. It stands at 391 feet, with 32 floors, having been completed in 2017. Its community benefit included the “View of DC,” which provided access to the top two floors, with a public access vantage point. The status of that “View of DC” is in flux, as more horse-trading has occurred in the past year between the owner and the County Board. Keep an eye out for more details to come.