World War II expanded the size of the Federal government, increasing demand for land in Northern Virginia to build military installations and to house (largely white) incoming workers while setting the stage for Black residents to lose their property. Citing eminent domain, the government forced Black landowners in Alexandria and Arlington to sell. Large apartment communities were built for white defense workers, such as Fairlington Village (reportedly the largest apartment complex in the country) and Chinquapin Village in Alexandria. A private company built Parkfairfax, where a restrictive covenant barred Black residents—and where Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford later lived as members of Congress. After renting at Parkfairfax, Congressman Ford bought a home in Chinquapin Village, where he was living when, as Vice President, Richard Nixon’s resignation elevated him to President.
 

Eminent domain displaced historic Black communities, Notably, in February of 1942, in order to build the Pentagon and its surrounding roads, the federal government condemned East Arlington, giving the residents less than a month to evacuate. Queen City, another nearby Black community, was razed at the same time to free up land next to the Pentagon for a cloverleaf to help commuters access nearby Washington Boulevard and Columbia Pike. The 9/11 memorial marking the spot where American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon is built on the land once occupied by Queen City. During World War II, housing surrounding the nation’s capital was in short supply. Some Black residents who were displaced by the construction were able to find homes in nearby communities, but most were left with few options.