Shaded under towering trees along streets that invite bike riders, walkers andneighbors who actually know each other is the hidden neighborhood of historic DowdenTerrace – secluded, yet accessible to some of the best shops, restaurants and schools inNorthern Virginia.The elegant solid-brick rambler at 5515 Bradley Boulevard is a gem among more than300 houses built in an eclectic mix of styles from traditional to contemporary. Whetheryou like mid-century modern or a touch of historic charm, this house is for you.A wood-burning fireplace flanked by built-in bookcases anchors one end of the livingroom, which opens to a formal dining room with a brushed-brass chandelier hung under adecorative ceiling medallion. The dining room leads to a sunlit den, study or home office– you decide. The kitchen is updated with stainless steel appliances, undercounterlighting and a roomy pantry. Three generous bedrooms and two remodeled full bathroomscomplete the layout. The floors are solid oak, and the windows feature plantationshutters. Attached is a two-car garage large enough for SUVs.The house sits on a three-quarter acre lot with a massive back yard sheltered by shadytrees including a 200-year-old oak and a 100-year-old magnolia, along with azalea bushesablaze with colors in the spring. The front yard is a carpet of grass maintained like aputting green.Dowden Terrace was once a dairy farm. Walter Dowden started building houses on hisland in the 1950s. Today the neighborhood includes the eight-acre Dowden Terrace Park,with tennis courts, a basketball court and a baseball field – owned and maintained by theFairfax County Park Authority. Dowden Terrace also features a community, membershipswimming pool and the wooded Holmes Run Parkway bike path.Although Dowden Terrace feels like a small, country village, it is close to some of thebest restaurants in Northern Virginia, especially the Peking Gourmet Inn, made famousby presidents, Supreme Court justices and generals. The neighborhood is less than twomiles to the nearest Trader Joe’s and a convenient commute along SeminaryRoad and Rte. 395 to the Pentagon and DC.