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| c.1940 |
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Above Left: An artist's rendition of the Recreation Center on South Post Ft. Myer, but not sure if this was drawn before or after it was built around 1940. The PX is all the way to the left, then the Rec Center shows, from left to right: the movie theatre/bowling section, then the tall part of the rec center which was one huge room inside, then the covered walkway to the Green Room which is on the far right. View is taken from the end of Avenue of the Trees where it met the traffic circle, which is not depicted in this drawing. The view is looking northeast and the original Arlington Cemetery is a short distance behind this view. To the right and off the drawing, were the wood barracks which housed single men in Headquarters Company until 1969, when they were condemned then torn down by about 1970. The Pentagon was then further off the painting to the right. 'Washington Residence Halls" pertains to the halls where single women governmental workers lived in the 1940s, then it became known as part of South Post and was NCO family housing in the 50s and 60s. Most of the halls were knocked down by the early 60s, after existing for only 20 years- others survived to the late 60s. This is all part of Arlington Cemetery now.
Above Right: Another view, this time a photograph, taken of the Rec Center at a different angle. The photographer is standing under the entrance to the PX, looking toward the Green Room to the right. The Pentagon was about a 5 minute walk further to the right, off this picture.
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The above 4 photos were taken around 2000-2002, 30 years after the Rec Center and traffic circle were demolished and fill was brought in to make this large mound. This used to be "Avenue of the Trees" (now McClellan Drive in the cemetery) and several of the trees, planted around 100 years ago, can still be seen here. The photo in the above right was taken further back, where Arlington Ridge Road was, and that is now Eisenhower Drive in the cemetery (you can read the sign post over to the right....). Delaware Hall was to the left here, and Florida Hall right behind the sign, followed by Georgia Hall and Idaho Halls off the picture further to the righ. The ever-present Washington Monument can be seen in the background.
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Above left: looking in the same direction, the photographer is standing ON the dirt mound, which is right where the Rec Center was....and in the above right photo the view is towards Rosslyn and Georgetown.
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| c.2005 |
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Above 2 photos: And, after much grading, here is the end result sometime around 2005 or so. Two of the original trees were saved and you can again see the Washington Monument peeking through all the way to the left in the left photo, and inbetween the trees in the photo on the right. Lots of green there, but no Green Room anymore. All photos taken by Bill Jentz.
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