Hickory Cluster Homes for Sale in Reston, VA
Hickory Cluster is in Reston, Virginia at the Lake Anne area. These modernist townhouses are known to be well-designed and feature some unique and stunning box-like arrangements. These are paired with tall ceilings and hardwood floors. The houses are designed to create more natural light inside each individual home.
Hickory Cluster | Mid-Century Modern
A Mid-Century Modern Community from Charles Goodman
Reston is notable for its forward thinking concepts and mid-century homes. Charles M. Goodman was one of several prominent architects commissioned to design residences here at the outset of Reston’s development in 1962. In fact, Goodman was the very first designer approached by Robert Simon, the developer/creator of Reston.
By this point, Goodman had already made his mark with the award-winning Hollin Hills community in Alexandria—450 iconic single-family homes built between 1949 and 1970. Goodman’s work on the project was primarily completed by 1956.
For his Hickory Cluster project, Goodman elected to cluster these distinctive “International-style” townhouses on groups of three, allowing 90 percent of the land to remain in its natural form with woods, water and trails. The name of the project derives from the cluster formations and surrounding Hickory Trees.
The townhouses with their large floor-to-ceiling grids of glass, plus balconies and roof decks, were designed to provide optimal views of Lake Anne which they overlook. Other signature looks included hardwood floors, intricately paved terraces which are set into the ungraded woodsy terrain, and doorways painted in bold primary colors such as red, yellow or green.
Famous Mid-Century Neighborhoods
There were 90 townhomes constructed in the Hickory Cluster subdivision. Owners tend to hang onto these modernist classics, and as a result, new listings don’t come up with great regularity. For that reason, we have included some other interesting Reston homes on this page as well. These include a variety of intriguing single-family and townhouse styles, primarily from the 1960s to 1980s era, although there is also some newer construction located near the new Reston Town Center.
In addition to Goodman, other notable modernist architects involved in Reston’s development in the early days include Chloetheil Woodward Smith (a trailblazing female architect who designed Reston’s Waterview townhomes), William Conklin, James Rossant and Louis Sauer.
Mid-Century Modern Homes in Washington Metro
The mid-century modern milieu is often associated with Southern California, Arizona and the Pacific Northwest. But there are also fascinating pockets all along the Eastern states, including a number of subdivisions in the Washington Metropolitan region.
Reston is one such community, with numerous modernist designs including pocket neighborhoods such as Hickory Cluster and Waterview. But these are just a few of the areas where you can find home designs that are quite different from the traditional Colonials, Tudors, Capes, Ramblers and other stock DC suburban architecture.
Hollin Hills with its 450 modernist homes—including flat and butterfly roofs and huge glass window walls—is perhaps the best-known of the local mid-century modern communities. Others include Carderock Springs in Bethesda with 400 homes, New Mark Commons in Rockville, Maryland with some 380 single-family homes and townhouses, and Wessynton in Fairfax County near Mount Vernon with 156 homes on 65 wooded acres abutting Little Hunting Creek.
Reston, a Unique “New Town” Community
Officially founded in 1964, Reston is known as one of the first modern post-World War II planned community. Created by Robert Simon—a New York City entrepreneur whose family had owned Carnegie Hall—the Fairfax County development began taking shape in 1961. The Hickory Cluster section was initiated in 1962, before Reston was actually opened.
Simon had traveled the world and was impressed by the wide range of architectural styles he witnessed. After purchasing the land that would become Reston, he decided to pay homage to different world cultures by creating pocket neighborhoods, each in its own style and with its own amenities, which would surround a larger town center. In doing so, he hired the aforementioned architectural team of Whittlesey, Conklin & Rossant to oversee the design of the community, while also bringing in other notable designers like Goodman and Smith for specific projects.
Simon’s master plan was influenced by the Garden City concept that began in Europe in 1898 and later emerged in the United States, and the New Town movement that sprang up after the end of World War II. The overarching theme was to integrate natural settings, residences and commercial development. The wooded terrain and Lake Anne provided the perfect counterpoints to Simon’s vision.
Today, Reston continues its forward progress. The town center was recently redeveloped with new upscale shops, restaurants and entertainment, as well as new upscale condos and townhouses for sale. Next up will be Reston Gateway, a 4.8 million square foot commercial mixed-use development near the north entrance to the Reston Town Center Metro Station with its Silver Line service. To learn more about mid-century homes for sale at Hickory Cluster and other Reston neighborhoods, call Andre Perez at District Partners at Compass (202) 798-3600
