Lyon Park in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Lyon Park Community Center
This park and community center is owned and operated by the neighborhood of Lyon Park. The Community House was constructed in 1925 on land donated by the developer, Lyon & Fitch. Frank Lyon envisioned a community house to encourage robust civic involvement, offering $2,500 in building funds to be matched by the residents. Beginning in 1924, community members voluntarily purchased shares in the Lyon Park Community Center for $25 each, to support the building fund.
Community Supported
The first meeting of the Lyon Park Community Center (LPCC) was held on November 17, 1924, at the offices of Lyon & Fitch. The mission statement of the LPCC was adopted, to build and maintain a Community House that would serve as:
"A social, civic, and recreative center; so democratic as to attract the humblest; so wholesome as to appeal to the exclusive; so broad in scope as to bring youth, maturity, and old age into closer companionship to the benefit of all."
- LPCC Constitution, adopted June 16, 1925
On July 25, 1925, a carnival was held to celebrate the laying of the Community House cornerstone. At the event, a touring car
this page online
Celebrating Community Amenities
Since 1925, the Lyon Park Community House has played a central role in community and civic life: for dances and theatrical performances, voting, political and social organization gatherings, monthly Lyon Park Women's Club and Lyon Park Citizens Association meetings, weddings and family celebrations, and for community spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts and chili cook-offs. Dance classes and kindergarten programs were also common offerings. During World War II, the Community House supported the war effort, hosting air warden training and Red Cross events.
Expansion and Renovation
In the 1970s, the building was expanded to include a large industrial-style kitchen. Commercial elements were repurposed from the cafeteria of the Henry Clay School (located at the corner of N. Garfield and 7th Street N, now Zitkala-a Park) that
After 80 years of community use, the Lyon Park Community House was badly in need of repair. The neighborhood established a plan to renovate the building while maintaining its historic character. Hundreds of individuals participated in developing a design consistent with the building's historic features and ADA-compliant. The commercial kitchen was expanded and a sunporch added to better connect the building's interior to the park.
The renovated Community House re-opened in 2015. Neighborhood fundraising and robust building rentals resulted in retiring the building loan early, assuring the building's financial and operational viability for the next century.
Today the Community Center welcomes thousands of people every year to hundreds of events. The park and playground offer shaded space for recreation, the kitchen is used by cooks and bakers of all ages, and meetings, concerts and parties are held in the main hall, just as envisioned in 1924.
for more information about the Lyon Park Community Center, go to www.lyonpark.org
Erected 2025 by Lyon Park, Citizens Association; Arlington County, Virginia.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is June 16, 1925.
Location. 38° 52.753′ N, 77° 5.522′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Lyon Park. It is on North Fillmore Street south of North Pershing Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 414 N Fillmore St, Arlington VA 22201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lyon Park History (a few steps from this marker); At the Heart of Lyon Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Rockwell Field (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Tillinghast (approx. 0.4 miles away); Orville Wrights First Virginia Flight (approx. half a mile away); Worlds First Public Passenger Flight (approx. half a mile away); Fort Whipple (approx. half a mile away); Arlington Post Office (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 20, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 25 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 20, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
