Crowds gathered Saturday morning at Hollin Meadows Elementary to grab a bite to eat from a food truck and board an Old Town Trolley ride for this year’s Hollin Hills House + Garden Tour. The popular event sells out as soon as tickets go on sale when it’s held every other year.
Some 2,000 lucky people visited 11 homes and one garden in the neighborhood. The school is located near the renowned Mid-Century Modern residential neighborhood just south of the City of Alexandria famous for its innovative architecture, landscape design and community spirit.
Developed between 1946 and 1971 by Robert Davenport and designed by architect Charles Goodman, the community is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Riding on one of the trollies Saturday afternoon from stop to stop, participants were treated to “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” by Roberta Flack, played by a volunteer on her phone as she shared fun facts about the neighborhood.
The Grammy Award-winning singer lived in the neighborhood during the height of her popularity in the 1970s. She spent some of her formative years previously in the Arlington neighborhood of Green Valley formerly known as Nauck.
The tour is presented by the Civic Association of Hollin Hills and organized by an army of volunteers who help design posters and programs, sell tickets and advertising to sponsors, create signage, direct traffic and much more. Neighbors set up refreshment and hot dog stands along the route.
This year’s poster was designed by Rick Heffner, a Hollin Hills resident, designer and faculty member of George Mason University’s School of Art, to commemorate the 2026 Hollin Hills House + Garden Tour. It features various models of Hollin Hills homes.
Also read: Where Homes Fit the Land: A History of Hollin Hills by local writer Glenda Booth
On Saturday morning, tour sponsor Jess Purtell lead an all-abilities yoga class on the grounds of Hollin Hills Pool, while visitors enjoyed coffee and cars, getting a preview of sorts of the Old Town Festival of Speed and Style in the pool parking lot. The fourth annual Pottery Seconds Sale also took place nearby.
At each of the 11 houses (and one garden) on the tour, attendees donned blue booties over their shoes before entering the homes to talk to the owners, and admire the Mid-Century Modern furniture, decor and artwork. Large glass windows offered views of carefully tended gardens or native plants and woods.
At each home attendees noted the importance of bringing the outdoors in, whether it was from skylights or outdoor living spaces surrounding by lush green woods — often several decks or patios at each home.
Artwork on loan from Nepenthe Gallery dotted both both indoor and outdoor spaces to get the word out about the artists they represent. The gallery kicked off the tour weekend with a reception Thursday night.
Patrick and Allison Heck hosted a special history exhibit at their home this year, “A Community of Vision” with archival materials on display to tell the neighborhood story.
The neighborhood includes more than 450 homes and multiple parks, covering a total of 326 acres.
Ask Hollin Hill residents why they live here, and you’ll often hear something like: “We came for the architecture — and stayed for the people.”
The 2026 Hollin Hills House + Garden Tour was the 16th tour in which homeowners opened their homes to the public. The first tour was held in 1953. Since 2006, the tour has been held once every two years typically in the spring, but the 2020 tour was postponed to September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you couldn’t make the tour this year, be sure to get ready for the next one coming up in 2028.
May 03, 2026
2:09 p.m.
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