Reston Founder Robert E. Simon Jr. Dead at 101 (ICYMI)

The father of Reston, its visionary founder — Robert Edward Simon Jr. — has passed away Monday at his Lake Anne home, according to the Reston Association. He was 101 years old.

The town is literally named for Simon, bearing his initials of RES in its name.

In 1961, Simon bought 6,750 acres of mostly undeveloped land in Fairfax County. He saw an opportunity to create a new kind of town, one that was diverse and based on residential clusters, walkability, facilities for all ages and the preservation of natural spaces. That vision turned into reality in 1964 when Reston was founded.

Simon later worked to transfer the responsibility of governing Reston from developers to citizens and formed Reston Association. He served two terms on the RA board of directors from 1996-2002.

Congressman Gerry Connolly said Monday he was sorry to hear the news of Simon’s passing.

“I was extremely saddened to learn of the loss of our beloved Bob Simon,” Connolly said. “To the end of his 101 years, he was a grand man of extraordinary vision, heart, and charm. Most people know Bob as the founder of Reston, but his insistence on making Reston the first racially integrated housing development in Virginia also made him a civil rights pioneer.”

“He was an environmentalist before the term was invented, a patron of the arts, and passionate advocate for social justice,” Connolly said. “The Northern Virginia region owes much of its character and success to Bob. I feel this loss sharply and shall miss his dedication, his laugh and his friendship. A local giant is gone from our midst.”

The name Robert Edward Simon is literally a part of Reston, the town he founded. While Reston was born in April 1964, its founder had five decades of life experience before he sold Carnegie Hall to the City of New York for $5 million.

But it’s what he did after that sale, buying 6,750 acres of farmland in Northern Virginia, that has impacted countless people, families and businesses in the place he called Reston.

In April 2014, the community he founded turned 50, and Simon turned 100.

Plans for a memorial service are pending. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Cornerstones (www.cornerstonesva.org), 11150 Sunset Hills Road, #210, Reston, VA 20190.

Share your memories of Simon in the Comments box below.

Watch “The Reston Story” video below by the Reston Museum, about Simon’s work founding Reston.

PHOTOS from Patch archives; earlier Simon photo from “The Reston Story.”

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