Spend enough time in Arlington and you will eventually hear reference to something called “Clarendon Circle,” but take a look at map and it is obvious that there is no circle in Clarendon.

You can’t see it because it’s not there anymore. What used to be the circle, at the intersection of Wilson, Washington, and Clarendon Boulevards, is now a gigantic intersection.

But thanks to the Arlington public library there are plenty of records, including the picture shown at right. The picture shows Clarendon in the early/mid 20th Century, prior to the elimination of the circle or the urban renewal that accompanied construction of the Metro system.

The circle isn’t the only thing in the picture that you won’t find in Clarendon today. The entire block of buildings shown in the center of the photo is gone, replaced by the linear park that tops the Metro station.