Reston Town Center truly serves as it was planned - as a premier destination for visitors and a gathering place for the community. Just 10 minutes east of the Washington Dulles International Airport and about 20 minutes west of Washington, it’s in an ideal location for travelers, as much as it is for residents and the workforce. With shopping, dining, office, residential, hotel and entertainment in a dynamic urban environment, it is no wonder that Reston Town Center has been dubbed “A Downtown for the 21st Century”.
Reston Town Center is the product of over 40 years of planning and design. Robert E. Simon, Jr., Reston’s founder, included Reston Town Center as the focal point and urban core in his original master plan. This successful, oft-emulated mixed-use center has won 23 regional and national awardsfor quality in design, construction and operation, including the prestigious American Institute of Architects Award for Excellence in Urban Design.
The al fresco experience at Reston Town Center is enhanced by the open-air glass Pavilion, a hub for special events of all sizes and ice-skating in winter. Reston Town Center hosts admission-free events all year ‘round, like the Summer Concert Series, Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, Taste of the Town, Reston Holiday Parade, plus lifestyle and fundraising events which help increase awareness and millions of dollars for local and national charities. The events attract at least 300,000 visitors each year, a number that does not include the thousands who shop, dine and work at Reston Town Center every day.
Reston Town Center began in 1990 with the opening of Phase One, an area that includes two Class-A, 11-story office buildings, shops, restaurants, a movie theater, and a 519-room hotel. The centerpiece, beautiful Fountain Square, is an open civic plaza – a cool, inviting spot for pedestrians to relax, enjoy the view, or make a wish by the Mercury Fountain designed by Brazilian-born sculptor, Saint Clair Cemin.
Further along Market Street, office towers and retail on the north side of Phase Two were built out from 1997 through 2002. High rise residential condominiums in Phase Three were completed in 2007, with street-level shops, restaurants, plus an amphitheater park, Reston Town Square. In 2008, construction of the block tagged as SoMa (South of Market Street) was finished, bringing even more shopping and dining experiences to the Northern Virginia region. For these reasons and more, Reston Town Center was chosen by readers of Northern Virginia Magazine for the top ten list, “Hip to be Where” and been dubbed “A Downtown for the 21st Century”.