Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Reston founders video history collection, Collection #C0136, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Ernst and Young Visual Services Group Studio, Reston, Virginia, on March 22, 1989, May 15, 1990, March 6, April 17, 1990 and May 15, 1990.

Processing Information

The Reston Founders Video History Project collection was originally attached to the larger Planned Community Collection currently in the Special Collections and Archives. In 2009 the videotape cassettes were removed and organized into a separate collection. The old box numbers are also included as part of the new arrangement.

Processed in December 2008 by Emily Martin. EAD markup completed in December 2008 by Emily Martin.

Historical Information

Reston is a planned community in Northern Virginia. Robert E. Simon, Jr. was the founder of Reston, and he purchased the land with the proceeds from the sale of Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1961. Construction began in 1963 with the building of Lake Anne. Simon wanted Reston to be a place where individuals could remain their entire lives, thus many different types of housing were constructed. The focus of Reston, according to Simon, was to develop a place where people could live and work. Essentially he wanted Reston to be a way to live. A priority of this way of life was leisure time, so a wide variety of recreational choices were made available. In 1989 the Ernst and Young Visual Services Group Studio recorded interviews with the Reston Founders.

Scope and Content

The Reston Founders Video History Collection contains interviews of various people including Reston's founder, Robert E. Simons. The interviews were recorded from 1989 to 1990. The collection is small with only eight 3/4" videotape cassettes, each with its own interview.

Series 1 is entitled Interviews and is the only series in this small collection. The 3/4" videotape cassettes are interviews with various people about the founding of the Reston Community. People who were interviewed include Robert E. Simon and Jane G. Wilhelm, along with other individuals. The title of each item is the name of the person being interviewed.

Arrangement

Organized into one series.

Related Material

The Special Collections and Archives also holds the Planned Community Archives and other personal papers and organizational records that document Reston, Virginia, and other planned communities.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Simon, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1914- --Interviews.

Geographical Names:

• Reston (Va.)

Subjects:

• Housing--Virginia--Reston.
• Planned communities--Virginia--Reston.

Adjunct Descriptive Data