Belvedere Elementary School

Here follows a transcript about the origin of our school's name in this video produced for Fairfax County Public Schools’ cable television channel Red Apple 21:

Belvedere Elementary School opened in September 1955. The school was named for the Belvedere residential subdivision that was built by the Johnson Construction Corporation beginning in 1951. The reason company president Jesse Johnson chose the name Belvedere isn’t precisely known. It is not a name historically associated with this part of Fairfax County. The word “belvedere” is derived from two Italian words meaning “beautiful view.” It came into use in English in the mid-16th century to describe a building, or a part of a building such as a cupola, terrace, or turret, with a beautiful, scenic view. One type of belvedere, the Italianate cupola, was a poplar architectural feature constructed on homes in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. These decorative structures were built on roofs to allow people to enjoy a scenic view of the surroundings. In seaside communities, they were known as a Captain’s Walk or a Widow’s Walk, because they provided a vantage point from which to watch for approaching ships. This photograph of Fairfax County’s Gunston Hall, taken before the dwelling had been restored to how it appeared during George Mason’s ownership of the property, shows the belvedere that was added in the 1870s, by then owner Edward Daniels. Located just east of Seven Corners atop Upton’s Hill in Arlington County, the dwelling seen here with its rooftop belvedere was once home to such notables as Audrey Meadows and Howard Hughes. In New York City, this miniature castle named Belvedere was built in the late 1860s to offer scenic views of Central Park and the surrounding cityscape. The Belvedere palace complex in Vienna, Austria, was built in the early 1700s. Today, the Upper Belvedere palace is a museum, which houses masterpieces by renowned artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.
Located on what was known historically as Captain Murray Mason’s Chestnut Hill estate or simply Mason’s Hill in Fairfax County, the Belvedere neighborhood was in all likelihood given its name for the beautiful view of the rolling hills of the Clark dairy farm to the east. The Clark family’s home, which was built in 1902 and is still standing today, has two belvederes. Belvedere Elementary School’s name is a reminder to pause and enjoy the beautiful views around us.