Thursday, May 31, 2007

Gustave Ring (1910-1983)

Twenty-four years ago this month, on May 3, Gustave Ring died. Ring, as many Colonial Village residents know, is responsible for the creation of our community. In 1935, Ring was already a noted developer in the Washington area when he came up with the innovative idea of a large complex of garden apartments in Arlington. Funded through the Federal Housing Administration, Colonial Village's eventual 1,052 units was a model development in both the Washington area and the country. Ring created a number of other developments, including the Ring Buliding (in Washington) and the Woodmont Country Club. In addition to his career as a builder and real estate developer, Ring kept a thoroughbred racing stable.

Colonial Village continued to hold an important place in Ring's portfolio until 1977 when he sold it to Mobil Corporation. It was this sale, and the eventual designation of Colonial Village as Arlington County Landmark and entry on the National Register of Historic Places, that led to the formation of our three condominium associations, the co-operative, and the two rental organizations.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Colonial Village Magnolias

One of the great pleasures of Colonial Village is the flowering of the magnolia trees (primarily Magnolia grandiflora though there are a few other varieties around) scattered around the grounds. Late spring and early summer see the grounds decked with the magnificent blooms; later, as the blossoms mature, the cones form and soon the ruby red seeds begin to pop out of the cones.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

A look back to cooler days!

May 26, 2007 As we hit our first 90 degree day of 2007, I thought I'd give us a little cooling relief with a picture from around Colonial Village from January 2005 when things were a little chillier!