Robert E. Simon
Encyclopedia
Robert E. "Bob" Simon, Jr. (Born April 10, 1914 in New York, New York) is a real estate entrepreneur most known for founding the community of Reston, Virginia
.
, Simon took over the family real estate
management and development business. In 1961, with the proceeds from the sale of a family property, Carnegie Hall
, Simon purchased 6,750 acres (27 km²) of land in Fairfax County, Virginia
and hired Conklin + Rossant
to develop a master plan for the new town of Reston, Virginia
, a planned community
well known on the national level. Simon's new town
concept emphasized quality of life for the individual and provided a community where people could live, work, and play without driving long distances.
Simon returned to live in Reston in 1993 and helped celebrate Reston
's 40th birthday in 2004. In that same year a bronze statue
of Simon was placed on a park bench in Washington Plaza on Lake Anne, the original heart of the community he built.
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
.
Reston
After graduating from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Simon took over the family real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
management and development business. In 1961, with the proceeds from the sale of a family property, Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, Simon purchased 6,750 acres (27 km²) of land in Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
and hired Conklin + Rossant
James Rossant
James Stephan Rossant was an American architect, artist, and professor of architecture. A long-time Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he is best known for his master plan of Reston, Virginia, the Lower Manhattan Plan, and the UN-sponsored master plan for Dodoma, Tanzania...
to develop a master plan for the new town of Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
, a planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
well known on the national level. Simon's new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
concept emphasized quality of life for the individual and provided a community where people could live, work, and play without driving long distances.
Simon returned to live in Reston in 1993 and helped celebrate Reston
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
's 40th birthday in 2004. In that same year a bronze statue
Bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply a "bronze".Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Then, as the bronze cools, it...
of Simon was placed on a park bench in Washington Plaza on Lake Anne, the original heart of the community he built.