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Photo, Print, Drawing Arlington House, Lee Drive, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, VA Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Custis-Lee Mansion Robert E. Lee House

View 31 images in sequence.
[ Photos from Survey HABS VA-443  ]

More Resources

View 41 images in sequence.
[ Drawings from Survey HABS VA-443  ]
[ Data Pages from Survey HABS VA-443  ]
[ Photo Captions from Survey HABS VA-443  ]
[ pdf version of supplemental pages ]

About this Item

Title

  • Arlington House, Lee Drive, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, VA

Other Title

  • Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Custis-Lee Mansion Robert E. Lee House

Names

  • Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
  • Hadfield, George
  • Custis, George W. Parke
  • Gibson, John
  • Lee, Robert E.
  • Meigs, Montgomery C.
  • Moore, Charles
  • Leisenring, Luther
  • U.S. Department of War
  • Morris, Scott, transmitter
  • Smith, Delos H., field team
  • Schara, Mark, project manager
  • Byrdy, Edward L., Jr., field team
  • Schara, Mark, field team
  • Most, Jennifer, field team
  • Falwell, Kathryn, field team
  • Price, Virginia Barrett, transmitter
  • Ciango, D. F., delineator
  • Price, Virginia Barrett, transmitter
  • Smalling, Walter, Jr., photographer
  • Boucher, Jack E., photographer
  • Bieretz, Renee, photographer
  • Rosenthal, James W., photographer

Created / Published

  • Documentation compiled after 1933

Headings

  • -  mansions
  • -  brick buildings
  • -  military headquarters
  • -  offices
  • -  war (Civil War)
  • -  domestic life
  • -  historic house museums
  • -  military headquarters
  • -  funeral rites & ceremonies
  • -  conservation & restoration
  • -  Virginia--Arlington County--Arlington

Latitude / Longitude

  • 38.881225,-77.072602

Notes

  • -  See also HALS VA-10 for related documentation.
  • -  Significance: Arlington House, unique in its association with the Custis, Washington, and Lee families, is celebrated as one of the nation's most significant houses, from both historical and architectural standpoints. Esteemed as one of the earliest and most important examples of the Greek Revival style in the United States, the house is especially notable for its magnificent siting and for its boldly scaled portico, intended to be impressively viewed from the city of Washington across the Potomac River. In turn, the house provides a spectacular and sublime vista of the Capital City, with whose history that of Arlington House is intimately entwined.
  • -  Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-124
  • -  Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-355
  • -  Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N948
  • -  Survey number: HABS VA-443
  • -  Building/structure dates: ca. 1925 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1802 Initial Construction
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1803-1804 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: ca. 1810- ca. 1811 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1817-1818 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1855-1858 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1861-1869 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1885 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1929-1931 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1948-1953 Subsequent Work
  • -  National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000040, 14000146

Medium

  • Photo(s): 24
  • Color Transparencies: 7
  • Measured Drawing(s): 41
  • Photo Caption Page(s): 5

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HABS VA,7-ARL,1-

Source Collection

  • Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)

Repository

Control Number

  • va0252

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS) Collection - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: HABS VA,7-ARL,1-
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

  • Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
    • If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
  • Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
    • If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
  • Data Pages
    • Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

  • Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
  • P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
  • Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
  • You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
    • Make note of the Call Number listed above.
    • Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
      • The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
      • All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, George Hadfield, George W. Parke Custis, John Gibson, Robert E Lee, Montgomery C Meigs, Charles Moore, et al., Smalling, Walter, Jr, Jack E Boucher, Renee Bieretz, and James W Rosenthal, photographer. Arlington House, Lee Drive, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, VA. Arlington Arlington County Virginia, 1933. translateds by Morris, Scottmitter, Price, Virginia Barrettmitter, and Price, Virginia Barrettmitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/va0252/.

APA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, C., Hadfield, G., Custis, G. W. P., Gibson, J., Lee, R. E., Meigs, M. C. [...] Ciango, D. F., Smalling, W., Boucher, J. E., Bieretz, R. & Rosenthal, J. W., photographer. (1933) Arlington House, Lee Drive, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, VA. Arlington Arlington County Virginia, 1933. Morris, S., Price, V. B. & Price, V. B., transs Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/va0252/.

MLA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, et al., photographers by Smalling, Walter, Jr, et al. Arlington House, Lee Drive, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, VA. trans by Morris, Scottmitter, Price, Virginia Barrettmitter, and Price, Virginia Barrettmitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/va0252/>.