Miss Allen’s Store
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Subject of Research
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Miss Allen’s Store
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Story
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Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, African American communities were mostly autonomous and self-reliant for goods and services. Many service-oriented businesses were located within the homes of the proprietors to offset the cost of purchasing land and building a shop (ACHPP 2016: 16). The home of Washington and Rose Allen was reportedly the first home-based general store in Hall’s Hill/Highview Park, a historically African American neighborhood located south of Lee Highway (Maas et. al. 2016:60; Jones 2018:170). The store was commonly referred to as “Wash Allen’s Store” and “Mrs. Allen’s Store” after Washington Allen passed (Carroll 2002:21; Jones 2018:170). Arlington Directories from 1955 to 1964 list Rose H. Allen as resident of 1821 N. Columbus Street as well as the “Allen & Davis Grocery” (Hill 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961, and 1964).
According to the Arlington County Building Card for 1821 N. Columbus Street, the residence, noted as a “concrete block dwelling,” was owned and occupied by Washington and Rose Allen in 1935. The 1935 building card indicates a variety of maintenance work was performed throughout the 1960s and 1970s to include: a replacement roof on June 17, 1963 (Permit #2105); repairs to a garage and a barn demolition on March 31, 1964 (Permit #23800); new wooden siding and the replacement of rotting wood on October 1, 1965 (Permit #25385); replacement roof on November 1, 1967 (Permit #8391); replacement aluminum siding on three exterior walls with pre-cast stone on the front on June 9, 1970 (Permit #11095); and re-roofing of the front slope only on November 11, 1977 (Permit #5873).
Rose Allen owned two lots in the High View Park subdivision, the west side of Lot 8 (1825 N. Columbus St.) and Lot 9 of the High View Park subdivision, that had west and east access to N. Columbus and N. Cameron Streets respectively. She began selling off portions of her property in the mid-1960s. She demolished the barn behind her home in 1964. Everett and Irene Easter purchased the west section of Lot 8 from Allen (Deed Book 1653/352) and constructed a residence according to Building Permit #37036 dated August 11, 1967. The Easter family sold the property to Alfred W. & Jalorce M. Clark the following year (Deed Book 1665/532).
In 1968, Allen subdivided Lot 9 into west and east sections; Lot 9A contained the original dwelling and Lot 9B included the east 100-feet of Lot 9 that faces N. Cameron (ACBP #; DB 1674/367). James E. & Carole J. Taylor purchased Lot 9B from Rose Allen (Deed Book 1677/524) and constructed the home (Building Permit #37255 on 6/7/1968).
Based on the Arlington County Property Appraisers records, the Hall’s residence (Lot 9A) was conveyed to family member Elizabeth Samuel Long on May 6, 1987 (Deed Book W118/0028) in Hall’s will. The historic home appears to have been razed circa 2001 as only the land was sold in 2001(ACREA 2001). The extant residence was constructed circa 2002.
As a demolished resource, the former Miss Allen’s Store is not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
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People
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Washington and Rose Allen
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Place
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Mrs. Allen's Store, Halls Hill Neighborhood
1821 North Columbus Street
Arlington, VA 22207
