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Project Shirlington

Oral histories documenting the redevelopment of the Village of Shirlington in Arlington, Virginia.

Project Shirlington

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Mary Margaret Whipple

Recorded 01/16/2026

Mary Margaret Whipple was appointed to the Arlington School Board in 1976 and served as chair in 1978–79. Whipple was elected to the Arlington County Board in 1983–95 and was chair in 1986 and 1994. While on the County Board, she served as the Arlington representative to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ("Metro") Board in 1985 and in 1988–1995, serving as chair in 1990. This oral history focused on Mary Margaret Whipple's remembrances about Arlington's development, particula…

Arlington Long Range County Improvement Program Committee (LRCIPC) Metro mixed-use zoning ordinance Congressman Joe Fisher Arthur Cotton Moore Dr. Joe Wholey Ellen Bozman Shirlington Ballston Mall Rosslyn

Joe Pelton

Recorded 09/24/2025

Joseph N. Pelton, Former Chairman, Arlington Co. Civic Federation, relates the events and coordination activities that led to the redevelopment of the Village of Shirlington and his involvement in the redevelopment of Shirlington following Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Pelton described how the hurricane devastated the area by washing away the bridge across Four Mile Run, creating an economic tourniquet that resulted in $12 million in lost sales over three years. He detailed the key elements of the re…

Village of Shirlington Shirlington Redevelopment Jennie Dean John Robinson Congressman Fisher Arthur Cotton Moore Dr. Joe Wholey Herman Obermeyer Warren Stambaugh Elizabeth Campbell Arlington Mill Road Shirlington Arlandria Abington Arlington Ridge Barcroft Alcova Heights Clarmont Fairlington Jennie Dean Park Green Valley/Nauck Rosslyn Ballston/Parkington Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor