William J. Conklin was born on May
2, 1923 in Hebron, Nebraska. He studied architecture at Harvard
University, graduating in 1950 with a M.Arch. Shortly following
his graduation, he began work at the IBEC Corporation in New York
City. By 1951, however, Conklin left IBEC and joined the architectural
firm of Mayer, Whittlesey & Glass as an architectural designer.
In 1958 he became associate partner of Mayer, Whittlesey & Glass.
In 1960 William J. Conklin became partner of the architecture firm
under the new name of Whittlesey & Conklin. He continues
at the this same architectural firm, renamed Conklin & Rossant
in 1967.
Reston, Virginia was founded by Robert
E. Simon with the intention of creating a Planned Community or
New Town in the Northern Virginia area. In order to design a
town that reflected Simon's specific goals, he hired the architectural
firm Whittlesey & Conklin, which became the primary architects
of Reston. In 1962, Whittlesey & Conklin created a master
plan for the development. It called for seven Village Centers
to be connected by high density residential "sinews," or concentrations
of housing units. The Village Centers, themselves, were designed
to comprise mixed-use space, incorporating public and private areas
into a single Village Center. For example, in the first Village
Center at Lake Anne apartments and townhouses were built adjacent
to shops and public recreation spaces.
By 1963 construction had begun on the first
Village Center, Lake Anne. Surrounding Lake Anne are several
different building designs. The focus of activity at Lake Anne Village
is Washington Square Plaza (pictured right). A large pedestrian
walking area, a sculptured fountain, and shops were built in this
space. Apartments were built above the shops. Once again, this
arrangement reflects the mixed-use intentions of the architects.
The architects tried to anticipate all the
needs of persons using the Lake Anne Village Center. For example,
they designed sculptures that were also used by children for recreation.
James Rossant designed the pyramid, pictured left, both as an artistic
object and as a play area for children. Again, the mixed-use
interests of the architects is reflected in the design.
The William J. Conklin Collection, housed in
the George Mason University Libraries' Special Collections & Archives
includes slides, books, photographs, pamphlets, journal articles,
and architectural drawings. The Collection has many items pertaining
to Reston and architectural projects of William Conklin.
Further Information:
- PCA Information with related
links:
Planned Community
Archives (PCA) Collection
Search the PCA Finding Aid/Research
Guide
Reston
Collection Images
