Use Restrictions

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Peter McCandless papers, Collection C0163, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Peter McCandless in 1992.

Processing Information

The Peter McCandless papers were originally attached to the larger Planned Community Archives collection currently in the Special Collections Research Center. In 2009 the documents were removed and organized into a separate collection still housed in the Special Collections Research Center at George Mason University Libraries. The old box and folder numbers are also included as part of the new arrangement.

Processed in April 2009 by Emily Martin.

Biographical 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. Then Gulf Oil Corporation formed a subsidiary, Reston Gulf, Inc., in 1967 and took complete financial and operational control. When the Mobil Corporation bought the remaining undeveloped land from Gulf Reston in 1978, Reston Land Corporation was formed as a subsidiary. Peter McCandless served as a publicist who worked with developers to market Reston and also co-wrote with Thomas Grubisich, "Reston: The First Twenty Years" (1985).

Scope and Content

The Peter McCandless papers contains material relating to Reston, Virginia. The majority of the documents are from the Reston Land Corporation and include correspondence, awards and gifts given to Reston, project reports, newsclippings, press releases, marketing and promotional material.

Series one is titled Correspondence. Included in this series are memoranda and other correspondence relating to Reston, particularly Reston Land Corporation. Some of the subjects of the correspondence includes action reports and the Planned Community Archives. The series is dated from 1983 to 1990 and is contained within boxes 1 through 4.

Series two has information relating to awards that were given to Reston. Among the awards were National Sales and Marketing Council Awards, Finest for Family Living Awards, Three Blue Ribbons to Reston Offices and others. The series is dated from 1983 to 1990 and is contained in box 4.

Series three documents the gifts that were given to Reston, many from the Mobil Foundation. Included among the gifts are Mobil Foundation gift to the Reston Players, Reston Land Corporation Gift of $1000 to Fairfax County Vocational Education Foundation and others. The series is dated from 1984 to 1989 and is contained in box 5.

Series four consists of reports on different projects in Reston. Included in the series are Reston Town Center Phase One Partnership, McCandless Company Public Relations Plan For Reston Land and other projects. The series is dated from 1978 to 1990 and is contained within boxes 6 and 7.

The information in series five relates to marketing plans for Reston and Reston Land Corporation. Included in the series are Public Relations Programs Marketing Part I and II, North Hills Marketing and other plans. The series is dated from 1984 to 1990 and is contained within boxes 7 through 11.

Series six is titled News Releases. The documents in this series are news releases on different events or proceedings in Reston. Among the documents there is information on Northern Virginia Builders Association, promotions, Reston Roadways Beautification and others. The series is dated from 1980 to 1990 and is contained in boxes 11 through 14.

Series seven is titled Reston Land Corporation Newsclippings. This is the largest series in the collection. Included in the collection are newsclippings to the Reston Land Corporation over the years 1986 to 1992 from different newspapers. The series is contained in boxes 14 through 29.

Series eight is titled General Information and is the last series in this collection. The series contains a variety of topics including current media lists, House Beautiful Reston Land Corporation 20th Anniversary, NASA in Reston and others. The series is dated from 1979 to 1990 and is contained in boxes 29 through 34.

Arrangement

Organized into eight series.

Missing Title Series 1: Correspondence, 1983-1990 (Boxes 1-4) Series 2: Awards, 1983-1990 (Boxes 4) Series 3: Gifts, 1984-1989 (Boxes 5) Series 4: Reports, 1978-1990 (Boxes 6-7) Series 5: Marketing, 1984-1990 (Boxes 7-11) Series 6: News Releases, 1980-1990 (Boxes 11-14) Series 7: Reston Land Corporation Newsclippings, 1986-1992 (Boxes 14-29) Series 8: General Information, 1979-1990 (Boxes 29-34)

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.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Housing
• McCandless, Peter
• Planned communities -- Virginia -- Reston
• Reston (Va.)
• Reston Land Corporation