Note:  Since beginning this drive in May, we have discovered new information about the history of the barn.  Please see the web site for an updated historical recounting; the barn belonged to Lisle A. Smith, a one-time Assistant Attorney General, who built it in 1937.

To: Fairfax County Park Authority Board and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

We, the undersigned, urge the Fairfax County Park Authority to maintain the property at 1845 Cherri Drive, Falls Church (Pimmit Dairy Barn), as a historical site.

The Pimmit Dairy Barn was built circa 1937.  According to Charles Leik, President of the National Barn Alliance, the barn’s gambrel roof and wood and concrete block structure is exemplary of dairy barns built in that era.  The seventy-year-old structure is architecturally important and reminds us of the agricultural roots of this burgeoning urban area.  Though dairy farming was once a major enterprise here, the National Barn Alliance knows of no other dairy barns inside the Beltway.

The barn was built by the Storm family, prominent in Falls Church and important to the history of Fairfax County.  In June 1910, the Storm family began running a general store and post office next to a stop on the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad.  The general store became the hub of McLean.

The Pimmit Dairy Barn has been a part of Pimmit Hills since its founding in the 1950s.  This beautiful piece of history ties the community to the past and is linked to our future.  Preserving the structure and the surrounding green space helps educate our children about farming and the history of the area, provides a potential social focal point for the community, and could lead to improved property values and tax revenues in the surrounding area.

For all of these reasons, we petition the Fairfax County Park Authority and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to ensure that the structure remains under the Park Authority, intact, and is preserved for the enjoyment and education of all.

Sincerely,

(Note- Your email and address will not be posted on this site; you do NOT need to make a donation to sign the petition.)

Sponsor

Links