Bluemont in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ballston Metro / The Blue Goose
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 4, 2020
1. Ballston Metro Marker
Inscription.
Ballston Metro, also, The Blue Goose. .
Ballston Metro. The expansion of the Federal government and the increase of the population in the mid-20th century led to dramatic changes to the region. After the closure of the trolley lines in Arlington County, buses were the primary means of public transportation., In the mid-1960s, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) originally proposed a rapid rail system that had two lines in Arlington County, one line following I-66 to Fairfax and another line servicing the Pentagon, National Airport, and Crystal City. Arlington County officials, however, successfully lobbied for the proposed I-66 line to follow Wilson Boulevard and Fairfax Drive instead (the former route of the WA&FC trolley line) to stimulate development along the aging corridors., The Ballston Metro Station, located four blocks from here on Fairfax Drive, opened in 1979 and transformed the community from small shops and businesses to a thriving urban village., Image courtesy of Gensler.,
The Blue Goose. A colorful example of modernist architecture stood on this site from 1963 to 2015. Its geometrically arranged, polychromatic blue metal panels earned it the local nickname of "The Blue Goose." Designed to take advantage of its corner lot, the orientation of the building allowed its two main blocks to meet at the intersection of North Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive., Highlighted by a central gentle inverse curve, the façade featured metal hopper windows surmounted by fixed single-light windows. Narrow metal mullions or thicker metal pilasters divided these windows and ran seamlessly between each story to enhance the verticality of the building. Upon completion of the Blue Goose, the developer, M. T. Broyhill and Sons, moved its offices into the building., Image courtesy of Center for Local History, Arlington County Library.
Ballston Metro
The expansion of the Federal government and the increase of the population in the mid-20th century led to dramatic changes to the region. After the closure of the trolley lines in Arlington County, buses were the primary means of public transportation.
In the mid-1960s, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) originally proposed a rapid rail system that had two lines in Arlington County, one line following I-66 to Fairfax and another line servicing the Pentagon, National Airport, and Crystal City. Arlington County officials, however, successfully lobbied for the proposed I-66 line to follow Wilson Boulevard and Fairfax Drive instead (the former route of the WA&FC trolley line) to stimulate development along the aging corridors.
The Ballston Metro Station, located four blocks from here on Fairfax Drive, opened in 1979 and transformed the community from small shops and businesses to a thriving urban village.
Image courtesy of Gensler.
The Blue Goose
A colorful example of modernist architecture stood on this site from 1963 to 2015. Its geometrically arranged, polychromatic blue metal panels earned it the local nickname of "The Blue Goose." Designed to take advantage of its corner lot, the orientation
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of the building allowed its two main blocks to meet at the intersection of North Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive.
Highlighted by a central gentle inverse curve, the façade featured metal hopper windows surmounted by fixed single-light windows. Narrow metal mullions or thicker metal pilasters divided these windows and ran seamlessly between each story to enhance the verticality of the building. Upon completion of the Blue Goose, the developer, M. T. Broyhill and Sons, moved its offices into the building.
Image courtesy of Center for Local History, Arlington County Library.
Location. 38° 52.955′ N, 77° 7.025′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Bluemont. Marker can be reached from North Glebe Road (Virginia Route 120) just north of Fairfax Drive (Route 237), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1000 North Glebe Road, Arlington VA 22203, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 4, 2020
3. Ballston Metro Marker
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 4, 2020
4. Ballston Metro / The Blue Goose Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 4, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 368 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 4, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
