Fairfax County Government Center

Last updated
Fairfax County Government Center
Fairfax County Government Center 2020b.jpg
Entrance to the building in 2020
Fairfax County Government Center
General information
TypeGovernment building
Address12000 Government Center Parkway
Town or cityFlag of Fairfax County, Virginia.svg County of Fairfax
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States of America
Coordinates 38°51′15″N77°21′25″W / 38.85404°N 77.35706°W / 38.85404; -77.35706 Coordinates: 38°51′15″N77°21′25″W / 38.85404°N 77.35706°W / 38.85404; -77.35706
Design and construction
Architect(s)Randal Gaskins [1]
Architecture firm RTKL Associates [1]

The Fairfax County Government Center is the headquarters for the Fairfax County, Virginia local government. Located west of the City of Fairfax in an unincorporated area of the county, it is the meeting place of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, as well as housing the offices of the Fairfax County Executive and his deputies. [2]

Contents

History and development

Herrity Building and Public Safety Headquarters at the source of Difficult Run Fairfax County Herrity and Public Safety Buildings 2020.jpg
Herrity Building and Public Safety Headquarters at the source of Difficult Run
Pennino Building Fairfax County Pennino Building 2020b.jpg
Pennino Building

In 1969, the Fairfax County Government moved its offices into the newly constructed 12-story County Governmental Center on the county's exclave in the City of Fairfax. Designed by the architectural firm of Vosbeck, Vosbeck, Kendrick and Redinger and built by Blake Construction, the building was renamed the Massey Building in March 1971 to honor the county's first county executive, Carlton C. Massey. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Within a decade, however, it became apparent that the Massey Building was no longer sufficient as a governmental center, and in 1977 the county appointed a citizens' committee to consider moving the county's centralized activities out of the City of Fairfax. [7] [8] In October 1978, the committee recommended a site west of Fairfax, and in 1979, the county purchased 183 acres of the site, called the Smith-Carney site, for $4.1 million. [8] [9]

Another committee reported on county agency space needs in 1980, and in 1982 a design team and concept were selected. [8] At this point, development stalled, because the Board of Supervisors did not want to put a bond issue to pay for the new government center to a voter referendum, preferring to reserve the county's bond financing capacity for other needs. [8]

In 1985, the Board of Supervisors initiated a scheme whereby they could have their new government center free or on the cheap as part of a joint public-private partnership. [8] The land which the county had purchased in 1979 for $4.1 million had ballooned in value to $42 million, and the county proposed swapping some of this valuable land in exchange for construction of the new government center. [8] [10]

After years of negotiation, the county in 1987 entered into an agreement with a joint partnership of the Charles E. Smith Company and the Artery Organization whereby the county gave Smith/Artery 50 acres of land for residential development, conveyed for 75 years 67 acres of land for commercial development, and paid Smith/Artery $27.3 million. [8] [11] [12]

The agreement with Smith/Artery was not without controversy, with accusations that Smith/Artery had obtained a lucrative deal with the county and that the county was giving away too much in the deal. [13]

Even before the sprawling complex was completed, it had been dubbed the "Taj Mahal" by its critics and opponents. [14] [15] The name was applied due to the intent to install features that were perceived as luxuries, including a $400,000 12-story steel obelisk (later cancelled), a custom-built granite conference table, Brazilian mahogany paneling, and private elevators for the members of the Board of Supervisors during a time of constrained budgets due to the recession of the late 1980s and early 1990s. [1] [16]

Current uses

Naturalization ceremonies are also held at the center, [17] as well as vaccine distribution and absentee voting, plus many other bureaucratic functions. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfax County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. The county is predominantly suburban in character with some urban and rural pockets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reston, Virginia</span> Place in Virginia, United States

Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfax County Public Schools</span> School division in Virginia, U.S.

The Fairfax County Public Schools system (FCPS) is a school division in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. It is a branch of the Fairfax County government which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. FCPS's headquarters is located in the Gatehouse Administration Center in Merrifield, an unincorporated section of the county near the city of Falls Church; the headquarters has a Falls Church address but is not within the city limits.

The Fairfax County Park Authority is a department of the Fairfax County, Virginia county government responsible for developing and maintaining the various parks, historical sites, and recreational areas owned or administered by Fairfax County. Figures published as of 2003 indicate the Park Authority manages over 22,617 acres (92 km2) of parkland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfax County Parkway</span> Primary state highway in Fairfax County, Virginia

The Fairfax County Parkway, numbered State Route 286, is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia, acting as an arterial route in Fairfax County with a mix of interchanges and signalized and unsignalized intersections. Its alignment runs from southeast to northwest and roughly corresponds to part of the once-proposed Outer Beltway around Washington, D.C. The first segment of the roadway opened in 1987; the road was completed in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centreville High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)</span> High school in Clifton, Virginia, United States

Centreville High School (CVHS) is a public high school located in unincorporated southwestern Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, north of the town of Clifton and east of the Centreville CDP. Having opened in 1988 to serve the rapidly growing population of the Clifton/Centreville region, CVHS is the top of the Centreville High School Pyramid in Region 4 of the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system. In 2010 the school was ranked as the 4th best high school in Fairfax County, and the 18th best high school out of 172 schools rated in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. On a national level, in 2010 CVHS was ranked as the 130th best of all high schools in the United States.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit health organization based in Falls Church, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. The system is a network of hospitals, outpatient services, assisted living and long-term care facilities, and healthcare centers in the Northern Virginia market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiehle–Reston East station</span> Washington Metro station

Wiehle–Reston East is a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia on the Silver Line. Located in Reston, the station is situated alongside Reston Station, a mixed-use urban center. Upon its opening, Wiehle–Reston East was the western terminus of the Silver Line until November 15, 2022, when service was extended to the new westernmost terminus at Ashburn station.

Katherine Keith "Kate" Hanley is an American Democratic politician in Virginia. She currently serves as Secretary of the Fairfax County Electoral Board. She previously served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1995 to 2003, as a County Supervisor for the Providence District from 1986 to 1995, and on the Fairfax County School Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Accotink</span> Reservoir in North Springfield, Virginia USA

Lake Accotink is a reservoir in North Springfield in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Lake Accotink is formed by the damming of Accotink Creek. The lake is surrounded by Lake Accotink Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfax County Board of Supervisors</span>

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, sometimes abbreviated as FCBOS, is the governing body of Fairfax County; a county of over a million in Northern Virginia. The board has nine districts, and one at-large district which is always occupied by the Chair. Members may serve unlimited number of four-year terms, as there are no term limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. Smith Bowman Distillery</span> United States historic place

The A. Smith Bowman Distillery is a distillery that was originally based on the Bowman family's 7,200-acre Sunset Hills Farm in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, in what later became the planned community of Reston. The distillery was founded in 1934 on the day after the end of Prohibition, by Abram Smith Bowman and his sons, Abram Smith, Jr., and DeLong. From the time of its founding until the 1950s, it was the only legal whiskey distillery in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The primary brands produced by the distillery were the Virginia Gentleman and Fairfax County bourbon whiskeys. In February 1988, it relocated to Spotsylvania County, near Fredericksburg, into a former FMC Corp. cellophane plant at One Bowman Drive, where operation continues as a microdistillery owned by the Sazerac Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfax County Police Department</span>

The Fairfax County Police Department, commonly referred to as, "FCPD," is a law enforcement agency, located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Northern Virginia region of the commonwealth. Fairfax County Police serve a population of approximately 1,170,033 residents within an area of approximately 400 square miles (1,000 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Bulova</span> American politician

Sharon Schuster Bulova is an American politician who was chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in Virginia. A Democrat, she was first elected chairman in a special election on February 3, 2009. Bulova was reelected in 2011 and again on November 3, 2015. She retired at the end of her last term in January 2020.

Linda Q. Smyth is a former member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for the Providence district, serving from 2003 until her retirement after the 2019 election in which she was succeeded by school board member Dalia Palchik.

Michael R. Frey is a politician from Virginia, who was a Republican member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1991 to 2015; representing the Sully district in the western part of the county. The Sully district includes the unincorporated town of Chantilly and part of Dulles Airport.

William Sherrill Hoofnagle was an economist and politician from Fairfax County, Virginia who served as the second chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors after it became an at-large office. He served from January 1970 to September 1972.

Frederick Augustus Babson, Jr. was an attorney and politician from Fairfax County, Virginia who was the inaugural holder of the position of chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, a job he held from 1968 to 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Fairfax Park</span> Park in Reston, Fairfax County, Virginia

Lake Fairfax Park is a park in Reston, Fairfax County, Virginia, USA owned and maintained by the Fairfax County Park Authority. Contained within the park is the 18-acre (0.073 km2) Lake Fairfax. The park also offers a waterpark, carousel, picnic areas, campgrounds, trails, playground and more.

NOVA Wild is a 30-acre (12-hectare) family zoo located at 1228 Hunter Mill Road in Reston, Virginia. Visitors are offered tram safari tours, walking tours, and camel rides at the zoo, which features an aviary, reptile house, and butterfly garden.The zoo has 27 species of mammals, 10 species of birds, and 6 species of reptiles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Heath, Thomas (19 June 1991). "'This Was a Product of the '80s'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Facilities & Locations Archived 2009-03-22 at the Wayback Machine ." Fairfax County. Retrieved on April 4, 2009.
  3. ↑ "For Fairfax County". The Washington Post. 1 July 1967. ProQuest   143253747.
  4. ↑ "Exhibits Selected for Architectural Display". The Washington Post. 24 October 1970. ProQuest   147785483.
  5. ↑ "Honor to Massey". The Washington Post. 11 March 1971. ProQuest   147954493.
  6. ↑ Pearson, Richard (31 March 1981). "Carlton C. Massey Dies; Executive Guided Fairfax County Expansion". The Washington Post. ProQuest   147335336.
  7. ↑ Grubisich, Thomas (7 December 1977). "Reston Offers Fairfax County Site for Offices: Reston Offers Site for Fairfax County Government Offices". The Washington Post. ProQuest   146660559.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kramer, Fred K. (1990). A Successful Public-Private Venture at the Local Government Level (Technical report). Washington, DC: National Academy Press. pp. 85–97 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "Committee Suggests Fairfax Purchase Site for Offices". The Washington Post. 14 October 1978. ProQuest   146918824.
  10. ↑ Anderson, John Ward (30 June 1987). "Fairfax Government Center May Grow: Pact With Developer Would Cut Use of Tax-Generated Funds". The Washington Post. ProQuest   139195140.
  11. ↑ Hockstader, Lee (4 August 1987). "Fairfax Board Approves Deal for Government Center: Fairfax Board Accepts Deal for New Center". The Washington Post. ProQuest   139136469.
  12. ↑ Anderson, John Ward (24 May 1990). "A Foundation of Controversy; Land Swap With Developer Paved Way for Nearly Completed $98.6 Million Fairfax Government Complex". The Washington Post. ProQuest   307267548.
  13. ↑ Anderson, John Ward (27 July 1987). "Government Center: A Fairfax Frustration: Board Accused of Making 'Sweetheart Deal'". The Washington Post. ProQuest   139169681.
  14. ↑ Thomas, Evan (30 June 1991). "Where Did All The Money Go?". Newseek. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  15. ↑ Gardner, Amy (March 11, 2008). "Supervisors Weigh Naming Government Center After Davis". Washington Post. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  16. ↑ Richardson, Linda (15 August 1988). "Plan for Obelisk, At Fairfax Center, Falls Out of Favor". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "Naturalization Ceremony to be Held at the Government Center". Fairfax County. May 22, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Fairfax County Website". Fairfax County. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
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