Phoenix the Flamingo

Here follows an article from the Rose Hill Rambler newsletter written by Daniel Bearth:

A pink flamingo named Phoenix is standing tall once again at Rock and Donna Kulisch’s home at the corner of Franconia Road and Bernard Ave. The iconic 12-foot tall lawn ornament was first erected by Donna’s brother Charley and his wife Sandy in the front yard of their home at 5325 Franconia Road nearly 30 years ago. After Charley passed away in 2020, Donna and her husband pledged to restore the neighborhood landmark at their newly built home, which they did with an elaborate “Raise the Flamingo” ceremony with food and live music on July 20, 2024.

Charley and his wife worked as tattoo artists and were known for their eclectic tastes. They once built a structure around an old truck and covered it with license plates. “My brother was one-of-a kind,” Donna says. “I miss him terribly.”


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EDITOR'S RECOLLECTIONS:
The many flamboyant flamingos have been a constant presence outside this home for many decades, with original owner Charley Parsons going above and well beyond your standard faire of lawn ornaments with flamingo themed mailboxes, trash cans, and most famously, multi-story flamingos towering high above the passers-by on Franconia Road.

Charley Parsons was the renowned owner of the Great Southern Tattoo Company. He originally set up his first shop in College Park, Maryland in 1979 before expanding to other locations. Cornerstones in the tattooing industry, Charley and his wife Sandy were contributors to the College Park Tattoo Museum and collectors themselves. When Charley passed away in 2020 from COVID-19, the old home was demolished and the flamingos disappeared for a few years. That was until his family took ownership of the property, built a new home on the site, and got the famous flamingos back up so that the friendly faces and happy times established by the original owners Charley & Sandy are up held to this day!


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Here follows an article excerpted from the Offbeat Nova website written by Matt Eng:

You may have heard of the phenomenon of “spite houses.” These are buildings constructed or modified to intentionally irritate neighbors and developers. Although there are many around the United States, some of the most famous are located in Northern Virginia, in particular Alexandria. But have you ever heard of a spite flamingo?

According to urban legend, the origin of a pink flamingo statue the height of a basketball backboard is based on a disagreement amongst neighbors. The overly tall lawn ornament stands at least twelve feet tall along Franconia Road in Alexandria.

According to the Fairfax Underground message board, the statue has resided there for nearly thirty years. A rumor from one of the message board posters on Fairfax Underground solved the origin of the statue. The poster stated that someone in the county code enforcement office said that the owner of the house where the pink flamingo was wanted to make an addition to his home. The addition apparently required approval from his neighbors due to the size of the project. According to legend, the neighbors to their left declined, and Fairfax County told the homeowner that “in order to proceed, the addition would have to stay within (a certain amount of) feet of his home and no taller than (a certain amount of) feet.” In response to this, the owner put up the large flamingo conforming to the county’s specifications just to make the neighbor angry.

One commenter pointed out the story’s likely falsity because of the process for approval of new construction solely resting in the hand of the county, not neighbors. Either way, it makes for an interesting piece of Northern Virginia lore.

One particular user of that forum, “Hennessy,” said this about the statue: “I like the flamingo. It sticks a finger in the eye of all the stick up the ass people who demand homes all be exactly alike.”

In a historic neighborhood like Rose Hill, they are exactly right. Unlike a lot of other statues and monuments on this list, this one is assuredly something you can’t miss.