Most students probably haven’t noticed very much change in Foxhall Village in recent months. But Georgetown’s neighbor to the west will now be even further preserved after being named a historic residential district.

After the village, a 29-acre neighborhood south of Reservoir Road built in the style of 19th-century English cottages, won its three-year battle by concerned residents in May to be designated as a historic residential district, changes to the neighborhood’s aesthetic will by law be more difficult to arrange.

More contemporary changes to the Tudor homes, including vinyl windows and plastic doors, are some modernizations that were seen as negative additions by some residents.

Scott Polk, a Foxhall resident and real estate agent, said that the need for space in an overpopulated city increases the desire for expansions of the old homes.

“In D.C., people as a whole need more space. These houses do not always offer that. So people are very tempted to change them,” Polk said.

Many residents resisted these changes to the local landscape, and in May 2004 the community, led by The Foxhall Community Citizens Association and board member Paul DonVito, began working toward becoming the 28th historical district in the D.C. area.

“The community was very positive about this change and our view, our street, is now protected,” DonVito said.

Originally constructed in the 1920s by the Boss and Phelps Construction Company, Foxhall Village has unique architecture resembling classic Tudor styles of 19th-century England. Each home is made of stucco or brick, ornamented by stone crests and globe medallions, and finished off with lead styled windows. Currently there are 330 homes in the neighborhood.