Imagine a time in the mid-1960s when a locomotive from the Washington and Old Dominion railroad crossed the two lanes of Shirley Highway (now 395) and traffic stopped to wait for the train to pass. Families shopped for diapers and tube sox at Best Products, with its immense parking lot, now the site of Shirlington Village. From suburban shopping area to urban mecca, Shirlington has undergone a major transformation.
Only minutes from downtown along Four Mile Run, Shirlington offers an eclectic array of restaurants, art house movies, theater, shopping and housing. High-rise condos like the Shirlington Village —at the epicenter of the neighborhood — and well-established town house developments nearby offer a range of affordable options.
Constructed in the 1940s to house Pentagon workers, Fairlington Village is one of the hottest real estate properties in the area. Designed during World War II to accommodate as many people as possible, new generations of homeowners are using all available space to preserve these charming Colonial and Federal-style dwellings.
“People are refinishing attics, taking out walls and putting in French doors,” said real estate agent Tom Arehart, who has lived most of his life in the development. “It’s a big Lego set. It would blow the minds of the people who built it.”
It’s also a very affordable neighborhood, with town homes ranging from $400,000 to $600,000. Many of the units have been sold to first-time homebuyers.
“It’s right in the wheelhouse of the stimulus package,” Arehart said. “They are going very quickly.”
Shirlington Village delivers quality at every turn. There’s a Harris Teeter, a CakeLove and a Caribou Coffee. The new library serves as a high-tech digital oasis for its patrons. Jazz on Wednesdays in June percolates along Campbell Avenue. The Shirlington 7 shows indie flicks, Academy Award winners and foreign films that can’t be readily found anywhere else in the area.
Shirlington recently received national attention when the Signature Theatre, known for its renditions of Broadway musicals, won a Tony Award for best regional theater.
“Everyone gets to have [the statue] for a day on their desk,” said Signature Associate Director Michael Baron, who lives across the bridge in Park Fairfax. “I walk to work. I walk to the gym. It’s a desirable place to live.”
Shirlington Village is a tough act to follow.
Top Reasons to Live in Shirlington
Restaurants
From Saigonique to the gracious grand dame of the Shirlington midway-The Carlyle Cafe, Shirlington offers a wide range of excellent cuisine including Indian, Italian, Chinese, American, Thai and Japanese. The Best Buns bakery is one of the area’s finest bakeries. Full of atmosphere and verve, Busboys and Poets offers an eclectic and lively dining experience.
Theatre
The Signature Theatre is closed for the season but there are a number of exciting events over the summer like the Target Open House in the first week of August with live performances and workshops going all day. “There’s a show every fifteen minutes,” said Michael Baron. In celebration of their twentieth anniversary, there will be reunion concerts from past shows. The Classika Theatre is now featuring the Monkeys of Danyang for children.
Location
Minutes from Arlington, DC and Old Town, Shirlington is only a shuttle bus hop from the metro, a short jaunt to 14th street bridge, and a quick ride to Old Town. The new transit bus also goes downtown.
May 2008
– Average sold price in the 22206: $408,000
– Average list price in the 22206: $416,000
– Average days on market for homes sold: 34
May 2009
– Average sold price in the 22206 zip code: $452,000
– Average list price in the 22206 zip code: $448,000
– Average days on market for homes sold: 49
