A Huge Part of Reston History May Soon Be Gone Forever

The American Press Institute building in Reston has been one of the most iconic structures in the region, and Virginia's only example of Marcel Breuer's brutalist style of architecture commonly seen in buildings in the District -- and unfortunately, it may disappear forever.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal to tear down the building at a public hearing on Tuesday, July 26. The building has been vacant for a while and may be demolished for 34 new townhouses and an apartment building due to its prime location near the Wiehle Reston East Metro station on the Silver Line, according to a Washington Post report.

This hasn't sat well with many members of the community, who feel like Reston -- and Virginia itself -- would be losing an important part of its history were the building to be torn down in the name of new development.

The American Press Institute, an organization focused on journalism research and training, was founded in 1946 and initially located at Columbia University's Journalism School before it moved to the building in Reston in 1974.

But as the newspaper industry fell on hard times in recent years, so did the API, and in early 2012 it merged with the Newspaper Association with America and moved out of the building.

Image via George Mason University