Pike Hike I: Columbia Pike Town Center
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Description: An easy perusal of the eastern end of Columbia Pike, South Arlington's main street. The Pike has long been recognized as an invaluable transportation corridor..but there is much more happening here, as you will see! |
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Hi, I'm Chris Zimmerman, Chairman of the Arlington County Board, and welcome to this installment in the continuing series of WALKArlington Neighborhood Walkabouts. Today we'll be walking through the Columbia Pike Town Center area including the communities of Arlington Heights, Penrose, Arlington Village and along the edge of my neighborhood, Douglas Park.
Columbia Pike dates back almost as long as the borders of the county. In 1801 Congress chartered a company to create a road here -- a public/private partnership of sorts -- and the Columbia Turnpike was born. Though it has undergone a number of name changes, the Pike has long provided a way for folks to get to and from the District of Columbia from Arlington, the far reaches of Fairfax County and beyond.
We'll start and end this walkabout at the cluster of county facilities just north of Columbia Pike on South Walter Reed Drive. There is plenty of parking here -- or you can take the 10B Metro bus from Ballston, any 16 Metrobus from Pentagon, or any number of ART busses. Visit www.commuterpage.com for more information.
WALKABOUT STOPS
1. Columbia Pike Branch Library - 816 S. Walter Reed Drive
Arlington's 1st (and largest) branch library is just a block north of the Pike. The Columbia Pike Library opened in 1975 and houses extensive collections of foreign language and college/career-related materials. There are loads of children's programs, book discussion groups in English and Spanish, and summer programs for all ages. My kids have long enjoyed this facility, especially the summer reading programs. Check it out for yourself - and please: don't miss "The Triumph of Literature" mural on the South Walter Reed Drive wall of the building, created in 2000 by artist Alfredo Ratinoff and six teens in a program of our Cultural Affairs Division.
2. Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse - 2903 Columbia Pike
Here at the corner of Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive is what used to be known as the Arlington Theatre. Built in 1939 in Art Deco style, it remains an important landmark here on the Pike. In its heyday, it held over 600 seats and the complex behind it was once home to the Arlington Recreation Center, complete with bowling alley. The theatre has personal significance for me -- it was the first place I worked in Arlington, and in 1985 when the theatre closed as a "regular theatre," I was one of the last people to walk out the doors. When it reopened as the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, it offered dining as well as movies -- and still does!
3. "Pike Park" and Environs
This little park was included in the approval process for the drug store just to the south. Touting everything from artichokes to goat cheese to zucchini, the Farmers Market that operates here each Sunday from May -- November brings vendors from around the region.
In recent years, the County worked with citizens here to create a new vision for the Pike -- one that would help to transform it into a real walkable main street - having in some ways a bit of an old fashioned feel. And so a new code was adopted -- the Columbia Pike Form Based Code -- to support the construction of the kinds of buildings that would create that sort of environment. The first project approved per this new code will be built right here on the southwest corner. It's intended to preserve some of the historic structures including the Arlington Hardware storefront, and also replace the power substation with new storefronts lining Walter Reed Drive and above them, new residences.
Columbia Pike has always been an important transit corridor -- in fact, the #16 bus line has long been the most used route in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2003 we launched the "Pike Ride" family of improved bus services that provide Metrorail-like access to this corridor for over 12,000 riders a day. The schedules and maps on the new "spinning tubes" provide a lot more information at many of the stops
4. Walter Reed Center Community and Senior Center - 2909 16th St. S.
This fabulous new multi-use community facility re-opened in May, 2006. This 30,000 square foot environmentally -sensitive "L.E.E.D.S" building boasts activities for citizens of all ages and abilities. Check out the delightful patio-in-the-trees just outside the café -- and the "green roof" loaded with growing succulents!
5. Arlington Village Condominiums -- office at 1400 S. Edgewood St., #525B
Built to last, this community of pre-World War II townhomes went condo in 1985. Residents - and walkers - love the mature trees and generous rations of greenspace.
6. Rappahannock Coffee - 2406 Columbia Pike
You are now about 2/3 of the way through the walk. Celebrate with a nice big "Rappaccino" at this stomping "ground" of coffee guzzlers and web surfers. Rappahannock is a favorite hangout of area residents; it even attracts commuters who jump off the bus to catch a cup of coffee in the morning, then hop right back on! This establishment is well-loved for its home-roasted coffee from beans from around the world,
7. Bob and Edith's Diner - 2310 Columbia Pike
Well, no trip to Columbia Pike Town Center would be complete without a stop at Bob and Edith's -- serving up American fare since 1969 when Bob and Edith Bolton purchased what was then a donut shop and "reinvented it" as a diner. Now owned by the Bolton's son, Greg, Bob and Edith's recently opened a second location on the west end of the Pike and is open for walkers and other hungry patrons 24/7.
8. Penrose Park - 2200 6th Street South
This optional part of the walkabout is an excursion into Penrose to visit a spacious neighborhood park that has recently undergone some significant renovation. Located in the heart of the Penrose community, it features picnic facilities, a rock wall climber and lots of play equipment for kids of all ages. The park and neighborhood are named for a trolley line that once ran through here en route to Nauck from Rosslyn. Phase II of the renovation will include a replica trolley, which will call to mind the history of the place.
When my wife and I lived in Penrose, right after marrying, South 6th Street was fast and a little bit scary. In recent years, a Neighborhood Conservation project introduced a bicycle lane and, down the middle, a tree-lined median which, besides beautifying the street, helped calm the traffic and visually narrowed it, making for a much more pleasant place to stroll to our last stop!
9. Patrick Henry Elementary School - 701 S Highland St.
We've come to our last stop on the tour. If you didn't get to visit Penrose Park, this is another place you can bring the kids -- there's a wonderful playground available to the public any time outside of school hours. Patrick Henry School serves over 400 children in grades K-5. It is built on the site of the first public school in Arlington -- and was the first elementary school in the county to be integrated (1959).
And that ends our tour of Columbia Pike Town Center. I hope you enjoyed your hike, and I look forward to seeing you on the streets of Arlington!
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Chris Zimmerman has been a resident of Arlington County since 1979 and has served on the County Board since 1997. He served his third (non-consecutive) term as Chairman during 2006.
A former civic association president and planning commissioner, Mr. Zimmerman has been an advocate of the County's legacy of transit-oriented development and managed growth, and a proponent of the principles of the New Urbanism. During his tenure on the Board, he has emphasized traffic calming and neighborhood conservation, public schools and programs for youth, economic development and community policing. He is interested in improving transit service and making the County more "pedestrian-friendly," ensuring the availability of affordable housing, protecting open space, and enhancing recreational facilities. Regionally, he has worked to promote the concept of "smart growth" as the Washington area seeks to cope with the problems of traffic congestion and environmental pollution.
Mr. Zimmerman, his wife Mary Beth and their three children live in the Douglas Park neighborhood of south Arlington.
For Mr. Zimmerman's complete bio, click here.
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Photo of Columbia Pike Farmers Market courtesy of Redbud Organic Farm.
Photo of Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse courtesy of www.RoadsideNut.com.
