Taylor Run Alexandria Neighborhood
Section: NVA Neighborhoods
Author: Susan Isaacs, Washington DC Real Estate Strategist
This triangle-shaped neighborhood is marked at its southeast corner by the iGeorge Washington Masonic National Memorial, which overlooks Old Town to the banks of the Potomac River. Taylor Run is a lovely residential neighborhood with a varied landscape and eclectic architecture, dotted with parks and woodsy areas.
About The Taylor Run Neighborhood
Taylor Run is a stream, parkway and neighborhood that joins Old Town, Rosemont and West End. Taylor Run real estate is characterized by its detached single family homes of varying architectural styles, featuring generous lots and tree-lined streets, and attached homes with charm and character. Three of the most expensive homes sold in Alexandria recently were located in Taylor Run.
The Taylor Run neighborhood is bounded by King St. from Scroggins Rd. to Callahan Dr., Callahan Dr. between King St. and Duke St., Duke St. between Callahan Dr. and W. Taylor Run Pkwy., W. Taylor Run Pkwy. between Duke St. and Janney’s Lane, Janney’s Lane to MacArthur Elementary School, and through the woods between MacArthur Elementary School and Scroggins Rd.
10-acre Angel Park is located along West Taylor Run Parkway and Taylor Run itself. The park offers a playground, picnic shelter, baseball field and basketball court. The Janney House, a historic home of a prominent Quaker family, is located in the northern part of the park.
Residents of Taylor Run enjoy seasonal events and an organic community garden. The volunteer run, no fee neighborhood association organizes park activities. Taylor Run’s parks and green spaces provide a tranquil retreat, while its location just 9 miles from Washington, DC offers convenient access for commuters.
History of Taylor Run
Taylor Run evolved from colonial farmland and tobacco fields into today’s leafy, residential neighborhood dotted with historic landmarks.
The surrounding area was agricultural, primarily used for tobacco farming in the 18th and early 19th centuries. By the mid-19th century, however, exhaustive tobacco cultivation had depleted the soil, leaving fallow or overgrown land.
In 1828, the Eastern Ridge Road was incorporated as the Middle Turnpike, when eventually became King Street. As transportation lines multiplied, the area transitioned from rural plots into a structured residential neighborhood bridging Alexandria’s West End, Rosemont, and Old Town.
Atop Shooter’s Hill overlooking the region, George Washington Masonic National Memorial construction began in 1922. The neoclassical landmark was dedicated in 1932 and still serves today as a visual anchor for the Taylor Run area.
Micro-Neighborhoods Within the Taylor Run Triangle
One micro-neighborhood of Taylor Run is George Washington Park, a hilly treasure trove of homes of various architectural styles located behind Shuter’s Hill and the Masonic Temple.
Another is Clover-College Park, a rectangular-shaped merger of two subdivisons running south of Janney’s Lane to Dartmouth Rd with a stem down Cambridge Road to Duke Street. College Park’s first stone houses on Yale Drive and Janney’s Lane were built during the 1930’s, while homes on the west side of Cambridge Rd were constructed in the 1940’s. In the early 1950’s, mid-century hones sprung up, notably 402 Cambridge Road, designed in 1941 by Milton Grigg, a noted restoration architect for Colonial Williamsburg and Monticello. The community was fully built out at 80 residences. Many of its streets are named for colleges and universities.
Clover was developed over two decades, beginning in the late 1940’s. The first homes built were on the east side of Cambridge Road in 1948. Cloverway, developed from 1948 to 1950, Skyhill (1950-53), and Crown View Drive, starting in 1955, with number 403 reportedly the first house on the street. Crown View, Dartmouth, Clovercrest and Vassar were completed in the 1960’s. Many of the later homes were designed in the Colonial style, with a sprinkling of ramblers and split-levels.
Today’s Clover-College Park neighborhood retains its mid-century feel. Its modern-day claim to fame is that the Gerald R Ford family lived at 514 Crown View Drive before Ford became the 40th Vice President and 38th President of the United States.
Taylor Run Triangle Schools
The public school feeder pipeline for Taylor Run generally depends on street address.
Douglas MacArthur Elementary School Public Grades PK–5
Naomi L. Brooks Elementary Public Grades PK-5
George Washington Middle School Public Grades 6-8
Alexandria City High School Public Grades: All 9th graders attend the dedicated Minnie Howard Campus, then move to the King Street Campus for grades 10–12.
Disclaimer
We are not attorneys, legal experts, investment counselors, or CPAs. The content on this channel is presented for informational purposes only and derived from reliable sources, but should not be considered legal, financial, investment, transaction or real estate practice advice. Susan Isaacs and Compass, their principals and/or representatives, do not guarantee or warrant its accuracy, completeness, or applicability to any specific real estate transaction. Homebuyers should read applicable D.C. law and code as part of their due diligence, and seek help from licensed, qualified professionals for interpretation and application to their specific transaction.