Hollin Hall was an 18th-century plantation house three miles southwest of Alexandria in Fairfax County, Virginia. George Mason, a United Statesfounding father, gave Hollin Hall to his third son, Thomson Mason, through deeds of gift in 1781 and 1786. The land, as given, totalled. Thomson Mason was the first member of the Mason family to actually live here. Before then, tenants farmed the property. George Mason also helped Thomson Mason have a house constructed. Thomson and his wife, Sarah McCarty Chichester, celebrated Christmas, 1788 in the new house. However, as late as 1792 George Mason wrote Thomson about difficulties procuring lumber for the Hollin Hall front porch. Fire destroyed the house in 1824, four years after Thomson's death. An outbuilding survived and became known as Little Hollin Hall. Purchased by Edward and Eliza Gibbs, it remained in use until the 20th century. In 1916, industrialist Harley Wilson and his wife bought the property and constructed a new residence, pool and other buildings. It was advertised for sale again in 1938. The Hollin Hills neighborhood, primary to the west and north of Hollin Hall, was developed in the 1940s and is now a historic district. The Mount Vernon Unitarian Church bought the property from Mrs. Merle Thorpe in 1958. It hosted a Congress on Racial Equalitytraining workshop in 1961, as well as other civil rights activities, both local and national, during the next several years. The congregation also worked against the Vietnam War and for affordable housing. In 1983, the church sold part of the property to finance construction of a new meeting house to replace the old car garage. Fairfax County added the building to The Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites in 1993. In 1994, with the help of Alexandria's Campagna Center, the main hall was restored as a decorator showcase, and started hosting concerts several years later. Further renovations were performed in 2003–2004. It is currently available for function rental such as weddings.
