A New Window into the History of the Hollin Hills House+Garden Tour

As we prepare for the 2020 event, the H+GT Committee has scoured the Hollin Hills archives at George Mason University (and the closets of many residents) to present the posters and programs from past tours. You can check out this treasure trove of archive materials in the History section of the website.

The first Hollin Hills home was completed in 1949, just four years after the end of World War II.  Just four years after that, the first Hollin Hills House + Garden Tour (H+GT) took place in May 1953.  As the development had only extended as far as the top of Rebecca Rd, 8 of the 11 houses in the inaugural event were on Marthas Rd., with a particular emphasis on the Butterfly house.  

For the next 40 years, the H+GT occurred intermittently, with almost as much focus on the community of artists in Hollin Hills as on the houses themselves.  Then in 1999, the semi-centennial of Hollin Hills inspired a significant interest in celebrating what had clearly become a special planned architectural community.   A flurry of activity produced "The Trees of Hollin Hills," “The Artists of Hollin Hills" and the book "Community of Vision."  The 50th anniversary celebration featured the only "double tour," as 26 gardens were featured in April, 12 houses in September and an October Gala with performances by the Hollin Hills Jazz Band rounded out the year.  Since 2006, the H+GT has taken place every spring on even years.  

How the proceeds from the H+GT have been used has evolved with the times.  In 1953, a $1 ticket benefited the "Community House Fund" as the fledgling group of neighbors forged through issues of mailbox placement, loose dogs and forming the community guidelines that became the origins of today's Civic Association.  From 1967-69, at the height of the civil rights movement, Hollin Hills residents produced the "Contemporary Home and Art Show."  The proceeds benefited the Northern Virginia Fair Housing Inc., an organization that acted "as a clearinghouse for individuals interested in the non-discriminatory sale and rental of housing" to reduce segregation in Washington's suburbs.  Today, the H+GT is the largest source of funding for the neighborhood, with the majority of funds dedicated to the ongoing maintenance and improvement of Hollin Hills’ 35 acres of parks and trails.