Welcome to Fairlington Arbor
A unique community with a special place in U.S. history.
Fairlington Arbor is a beautiful, garden-style, colonial condominium association located minutes from Washington, DC and Northern Virginia by bus or car. It has handsome brick and stone buildings; lovely landscaping with courtyards, and shade trees, walking paths; three tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a playground. The Arbor is within walking distance of restaurants, supermarkets, drugstores, coffee shops, and dry cleaners. A longer walk or bike ride leads to the urban village of Shirlington with numerous restaurants, shops, a public library, and the award-winning Signature Theater. The Arbor welcomes people of all ages and identities. It is common to see neighbors running into each other or getting together on sidewalks, front yards, or at the playground, tennis courts, and swimming pool. Fairlington Arbor is the largest of the Fairlington associations south of I-395, with 367 units covering 25 acres and ranging from 1-bedroom apartments to 3-bedroom townhouses.
The Arbor is part of the larger, historic Fairlington neighborhood that was listed on the Virginia Landmark Register in 1998 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It is a notable example of community planning and publicly financed housing. Fairlington (named for Fairfax and Arlington Counties) was created by the Defense Homes Corporation (DHC) during World War II to provide housing for defense workers moving to the area. Builder Thompson-Starrett obtained quality materials, renowned Architect Kenneth Franzheim served as lead designer, and construction occurred between 1942 and 1945. Military and civilian families began to move in in May 1943, and by 1945 the 3,400 homes constituted the country’s largest permanent housing development. The DHC managed Fairlington until 1947, and sold it to Fairmac, which operated Fairlington as a rental community for the next thirty years. In the mid-1970s, Fairmac converted the community into seven condominiums. Six of the condominiums, including the Arbor, lie on the southeast side of I-395, and the largest, Fairlington Villages (or North Fairlington), is north of I-395. Each of these communities is governed independently through its own Board of Directors.
During the conversion to condominiums in the 1970s, all units underwent extensive interior and exterior improvements, including the addition of electric heating and air conditioning, private, finished basements, and fenced patios. Extensive landscaping was completed, and each association was provided with tennis courts and a swimming pool.
If you are a resident of Fairlington Arbor, please click the Resident Sign-In button to access the resident portal with additional resources.