Roger Machanic with his son Bruce (front row) and daughter Laura, wife Grace and daughter-in-law Susan Machani at the wedding of a family friend in 2001. Photo Contributed
His name may not be familiar, but anyone walking the streets of Alexandria has seen the influence of Roger Machanic, the real estate developer behind The Montgomery Center in North Old Town and The Crilley Warehouse Executive Office Suites.
“People told my father he was crazy to come to Alexandria and start building houses,” Laura Machanic said of her father. “Old Town was a sleepy, boarded up, derelict place in early ‘60s — not at all what it is today.”
But Machanic persevered and became known as a visionary as he renovated and developed both residential and commercial properties throughout the city. On May 10, the business leader and philanthropist died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83.
Born March 11, 1933, in Burlington, Vt., Machanic attended Burlington High School and was the Vermont State Discus Champion. He attended Harvard University on full scholarship and graduated cum laude in 1955, majoring in economics and lettering in track and field.
Machanic served two years in the U.S. Army, stationed in Ulm, Germany, before following his older brother David to the Washington, D.C. area. He began his business career in 1958 as a stockbroker at Bellamah, Neuhauser & Barrett, followed by Ferris & Co. until 1963.
It was during this time that he met his wife Grace on a blind date. The two married in 1963 and settled in Old Town, where Machanic began his real estate development career renovating residential and commercial properties in Washington, D.C. and Alexandria.
Machanic founded several real estate companies and partnerships over the years but the best known was Development Resources, Inc., which exists today as a division of Transwestern.
As a friend and counsel to many politicians and community leaders, Machanic was often encouraged to run for local office.
“Dad always got a laugh out of that,” Laura Machanic said. “He would tell people that he wouldn’t stand a chance since he was a Republican. But they always said that if anyone could cross party lines, he could. In reality, he didn’t want that life. He was totally a family man and preferred a private, quiet life.”
In addition to his real estate ventures, Machanic’s other business interests included serving as chairman of a savings and loan and as a mentor to up and coming businessmen and women throughout Northern Virginia.
“Dad really loved mentoring,” Laura Machanic said. “He had this ability to see so clearly what was right, what was the best path for a person and help point them in that direction.”
Machanic, a longtime member of Belle Haven Country Club, was actively involved in numerous civic organizations including the Rotary Club of Alexandria, the Optimist Club, the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alexandria United Way, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and MetroStage.
He served as chairman of the Board of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce in 1982 was named the organization’s Business Leader of the Year in 2002.
A lifelong lover of classical music, Machanic was an annual subscriber to the National Symphony Orchestra since the Kennedy Center first opened in the early 1970s.
“Dad never lost his love for classical music,” Laura Machanic said. “As his Alzheimer’s got worse, classical music would always soothe and calm him down.”
A native of New England, Machanic enjoyed vacationing in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. After his semi-retirement at the age of 50, he spent weekends at a second home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Machanic was preceded in death by his parents, Hermon Machanic and Beatrice Baker Machanic, and his brother, David Machanic. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Grace Manly Machanic; son, Bruce Machanic, and his wife, Susan Redding Machanic, of Arlington; daughter, Laura Machanic, and her husband, Tom Dabney, of Alexandria; grandchildren Kathryn R. Machanic and Tyler R. Machanic; step-grandchildren Paula Margaret Dabney and Steven Sidney Dabney; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
Machanic, who battled Alzheimer’s disease for 15 years prior to his death, has donated his brain to Alzheimer’s research. Memorial gifts may be made to the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at www.alzresearch.org.
“We are so grateful to Dad’s caregivers and companions,” Laura Machanic said. “Miriam Duchén, Azucena Rodriguez and Josie Martin gave him so much love and attention in his later years.”
A memorial service celebrating Machanic’s life will be held Friday, June 3, at 3 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt St. A reception will follow in the church hall.
“With so much focus on my father’s business endeavors, it makes him sound like a robot,” Laura Machanic said. “I hope people will remember how warm and personable he was. He was a quiet and humble man who touched the lives of so many people. And for our family, he was the center of everything for all of us.”