Reston neighborhood guides / Guide two
Lake Anne
The first village
| Village center | The first in Reston, opened in the mid 1960s. |
|---|---|
| Housing stock | Midcentury townhomes and clusters, a lakefront tower, some detached homes. |
| Distinguishing | Washington Plaza on the water, a National Register historic district since 2017. |
What it is
Lake Anne is where Reston started. Washington Plaza sits directly on the water, and the central plaza and the buildings around it were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 as a forty one acre historic district. Waterview Cluster, Hickory Cluster, and the homes along Hook Road date to the founding years.
Daily life
The plaza functions as a small town square rather than a shopping center. The Reston Farmers Market runs there on Saturday mornings in season, and the plaza carries a steady calendar of community events through the year. It is the part of Reston that feels least like Northern Virginia and most like a place with its own history.
What buyers ask
Two questions come up constantly. The first is about the architecture, because the midcentury designs here are distinctive and not everyone wants a flat roof and a wall of glass. The second is about age. This is sixty year old housing stock, and mechanical systems, windows, and siding have usually been replaced at least once. Buyers who love Lake Anne tend to love it specifically, not as a fallback.
What sellers should know
Condition disclosure carries more weight here than almost anywhere else in Reston, because buyers arrive expecting original materials and want to know what has been updated and when. Historic district status also affects what can change on the exterior.