Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Francis C. Steinbauer Reston Development and Planning Collection, Collection #C0152, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Collection donated by Francis Steinbauer in 2004.

Processing Information

Processed by Special Collections and Archives staff. EAD markup completed by Eron Ackerman and Jordan Patty in March 2009.

Biographical Information

Francis Steinbauer was a key participant in the development of Reston through the first twenty years of its growth as a major new community in Northern Virginia. In 1964 he joined Palindrome Corporation (later Reston VA, Inc), headed by founder Robert E Simon as Design Engineer responsible for the creation and governmental approval of site and construction plans for residential and commercial building lots, and for Reston streets, parking areas, underground utilities, lakes, dams, public facilities and amenities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, and playgrounds. When Gulf Oil Corp. took over the development of Reston in 1967, it created Gulf Reston Inc. as the entity to accomplish that task. Gulf Reston undertook the full range of development activities including major re zoning, land development and building of housing for sale, apartments, office buildings and retail centers. It also owned, leased and managed most of the projects that it built.

To accomplish the breath of these activities, the company employed between 175 and 200 people. Mr. Steinbauer was retained by Gulf Reston as chief Design Engineer, and over the course of the next ten years was given successively broadened responsibilities in Gulf Reston management. Positions include: Director, Engineering and Design; Vice Operations; and ultimately Executive Vice President and General Manager.

Along with corporate management responsibilities, Mr. Steinbauer was a primary company spokesman to local and state government bodies such as Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Virginia Department of Transportation and Washington Airports Authority. He was also a company representative to the growth and very active Reston community.

In 1978, Gulf Oil sold its interest in the remaining 3,700 acres of undeveloped land in Reston to Reston Land Corporation a subsidiary of Mobil Oil Corporation. Its business strategy was to focus more on strategic land planning, zoning and construction of land infrastructure and amenities rather than on building offices and residences as was necessary in the earlier Reston years. Actual building construction was left to builder/developers to whom prepared building sites were sold. Mr. Steinbauer was retained by Mobil as Executive Vice President and General Manager, and in 1981 he was promoted to President of Reston Land Corporation. In addition to overall management of company operations, Mr. Steinbauer focused on governmental relations and securing innovative public funding for badly needed transportation improvements, two of which were a major highway bridge over the limited access Dulles Access Highway to better connect north and south Reston, and most importantly parallel travel lanes and exit ramps along the Dulles Access Highway to provide Reston direct road linkage to the greater metropolitan area.

In 1983 Mr. Steinbauer was promoted to President of Mobil Land Development Corporation Eastern Division. Headquartered in Reston, he provided senior management to regional development companies in Virginia (Reston and Colonial village in Arlington), Georgia (Windward and Brickton in north Atlanta), and South Florida (Sailfish Point and River Bridge in Palm Beach).

Mr. Steinbauer resigned from Mobil Land Development Corporation in 1985, thereby ending his twenty-one year professional relationship with the development of Reston, in order to join in partnership with the Henry A Long Co. in the development of Westfields, an 1100 acre corporate Business Park immediately south of Dulles International Airport. As President of Westfield Development Company has oversaw the critical stages of land use zoning, engineering, and land development. He also managed the construction of the Westfield International Conference Center. In 1990, Mr. Steinbauer formed Advisory Group Limited to provide strategic real estate development consulting services to developers, investors, banks, and creditors in the greater Washington/Baltimore area. Services provided over the next ten years to these clients ranged from preliminary feasibility analysis and pro-forma economics to land planning, zoning, engineering and construction management.

Scope and Content

The Francis Steinbauer Reston Development and Planning Collection contains materials pertaining to Reston history and development. The material covers Francis Steinbauer career with Reston and the state of Virginia. The collection includes photographs, sales information and manuals, master plans, reports, memoranda, and memorabilia.

Series one is title subject files. The material in this series includes mostly paperwork, such as pamphlets, magazine, articles, reports and various documents. The series is dated from 1962 to 1990 and is contained in boxes 1-3.

Series two is titled photographs. The series small and contains photographs of a dedication ceremonies and other ceremonies that Francis Steinbauer was involved in. The series is dated from 1964 to 1978 and is contained in box 3.

Series three is titled oversize. The has three items in the series which include a t-shirt and framed photographs. The series is dated in the 1970s and is contained in box 4.

Arrangement

Organized into three series.

Related Material

Special Collections and Archives also holds many other collection on the history and development of Reston, Virginia.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Planned communities -- Virginia -- Reston
• Reston (Va.)
• Steinbauer, Francis C.