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When Mobil Corporation bought the remaining 3,700 acres of undeveloped land from Gulf Reston, Inc., in 1978, the Reston Land Corporation was formed as a subsidiary. The new developer endeavored to follow Robert E. Simon, Jr.'s, master plan for the development of the new town, as did Gulf Reston. The Reston Land Corporation records focus primarily…

David A. Edwards moved to Reston in 1967, where he has participated in community-related activities for over forty years. His professional career was in city and regional planning. He was employed in the Fairfax County government and the private sector, first as an administrator in the Office of Economic Development and later as an official at…

Charles A. Veatch earned his B.S. in Finance from the University of Virginia in 1964 and his real estate license in 1960, while still a student at UVA. During the summer of 1964, he began working for Palindrome Corporation in sales under Robert E. Simon, Jr., and in 1968 he moved to Reston with his wife and two children. A founding member of the…

Nan Netherton was an historian and author whose several dozen books document the history of Northern Virginia from the broad level – In the Path of History: Virginia between the Rappahannock and the Potomac: an Historical Portrait – to the specificity of historic communities and buildings. The collection contains manuscripts, photographs and…

The Northern Virginia Music Center at Reston was established in 1967 by the Reston Foundation for Community Programs. Its objectives were to develop the talents of young musicians and to give them the opportunity to present musical performances for Reston and Northern Virginia residents. The program, which operated until the mid- 1970s, held yearly…

Lawyer and Reston resident George Ridgley "Ridge" Loux collected documents relating to commercial and residential development in Reston, the Reston Community Association (RCA) Planning and Zoning Committee, Fairfax County Annual Plan Review Task Force, Reston Town Center Task Force, Fairfax Center Area Task Force, and other Reston projects and…

Peter McCandless was a public relations officer for Robert Simon's original Palindrome Corporation during the mid-1960s and returned to serve as Vice President of Public Relations for Gulf Reston, Inc., during the 1970s. He later formed his own firm which worked with Mobil Oil’s Reston Land Corporation. The majority of the materials in the…

In 1968 the Reston Community Association (RCA) was created in response to the formation of Gulf Reston, Inc., and subsequent removal of Robert E. Simon, Jr., from Reston’s management. . Concerned citizens felt the need to take responsibility for community programs and the direction in which Reston was heading. In 1987 the RCA was incorporated into…

Started in 1966 by Reston residents, the Reston Players theater group has staged theatrical and musical productions continuously ever since. The Players’ first production, an original play entitled The Greatest Game in Town, was presented in mid-July 1966 in the Riding Center that once stood in Hunters Woods. The Reston Players Collection contains…

During a time when Virginia was still segregated, Reston welcomed and celebrated diversity like no other community in the Commonwealth. In 1969 African American residents formed Reston Black Focus, a group dedicated to celebrating and promoting a better understanding of African-American culture. Reston Black Focus sponsored the Reston Black Arts…

Patrick Kane was a consultant, educator, advisor, and activist addressing planning and community needs in Reston, Virginia. He had been associated with Reston since 1966, when he moved there and opened his own planning firm, KRS Associates. He later created the Corporation for Community Development a planning organization which worked on a number…

The Reston Museum opened in 1997 and is operated by the Reston Historic Trust. The museum is staffed by volunteers and is located in the Lake Anne Village Historic District. The museum has permanent exhibits devoted to community life in Reston and rotating exhibits of works from students of all ages in Reston. The Reston Museum collection comprises…

Architects William J. Conklin and James S. Rossant were instrumental in the design and construction of Reston’s first project, Lake Anne Village. As members of Whittlesey and Conklin, Architects (later known as Conklin and Rossant, Architects), Conklin and Rossant were responsible the original master planning of Reston and the individual design of…

Dr. Carol Riegelman Lubin was recruited by Robert E. Simon, Jr. and joined Reston Va., Inc. in 1961 to direct community planning of educational, cultural, recreational, social, and religious activities. The Carol R. Lubin papers contain materials pertaining to Dr. Lubin's work as a consultant for social planning in Reston, Virginia. Materials…

Robert E. Simon, Jr., is the man most responsible for the creation of Reston, Virginia. Born in New York City in 1914 and educated at Harvard, Simon took over the family real estate management and development business in 1935. In 1961, with the proceeds from the sale of a family property, Carnegie Hall, Simon purchased 6,750 acres of land in…

The Planned Community Archives collection is the largest collection of records pertaining to Reston, Virginia in the University Libraries. The materials in the collection were collected and assembled by Planned Community Archives, Inc. (PCA), of Reston, Va. PCA was a non-profit organization comprised of individuals dedicated to collecting records…