Reston Town Center combines elements of the ideal downtown: the vitality of an Italian piazza and the diversity of a French boulevard. Easy-to-access stores make shopping a year-round pleasure. You'll discover famous names and specialty shops lining the brick streets.

This acclaimed outdoor venue offers more than 50 retail shops, 30 restaurants, a 13-screen Multiplex Cinema and the Hyatt Regency Reston Hotel. And at the Center's hub, the Pavilion hosts special events, concerts, festivals throughout the year and ice-skating in winter, making this the focal point of the community and Northern Virginia's "downtown."

Features And History

The planning and construction of Reston Town Center was initiated and funded by Mobil Land Corporation, the company that was responsible for the development of all of Reston at the time. Robert E. Simon, Jr., Reston's founder, included Reston Town Center in his original master plan for this New Town that launched in 1964.

The successful, oft-emulated mixed-use Reston Town Center began with Phase One, the block between Library and President's Streets, which opened in 1990 and subsequently won 23 regional and national awards for quality in design, construction and operation, including the prestigious American Institute of Architects Award for Excellence in Urban Design.

The completion of Phase One included two Class-A, 11-story twin office buildings that incorporated shops, restaurants and a movie theater, plus the 519-room Hyatt Regency Hotel. In 1997, Phase Two was built in the same award-winning style as Phase One. Build-out of the urban core of Reston approached completion in the mid-2000's with additional developers, high-profile tenants in office towers and more retail complementing upscale residential townhouses, condos and apartments.

Reston Town Center has truly served as it was planned, as a community gathering place with shopping, dining and entertainment. The centerpiece, Fountain Square, is an open civic plaza which boasts the Mercury Fountain designed by Brazilian-born sculptor, Saint Clair Cemin. The 20' fountain is crowned with a bronze figure of Mercury, the Greek Messenger God, with water flowing from bronze 'trumpets' along the column. Lush plants, low seating and broad steps make this area very inviting to pedestrians. Directly across the street is the open-air glass Pavilion, a hub for special events of all sizes, and ice-skating in winter.

In 2008, Reston Town Center was chosen by readers of Northern Virginia Magazine for the top ten list, "Hip to be Where". For good reason, Reston Town Center has been dubbed "A Downtown for the 21st Century".