The Lakeside Pharmacy icons are characteristic of the 1960s Pop Art aesthetic and reflected Bob Simon’s inclination that the plaza’s sculpture be fun. Photo courtesy of Charlotte Geary
The Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association has donated the icons of the Lakeside Pharmacy, an original Lake Anne Plaza store, to the Reston Historic Trust & Museum.
The New York graphic design firm of Chermayeff and Geismar (now Chermayeff, Geismar & Haviv) designed most of the original storefronts on Lake Anne Plaza, including the Lakeside Pharmacy, an original Lake Anne Plaza store. Chermayeff and Geismar were also responsible for creating the logos for NBC and PBS.
While the main purpose of the Lakeside Pharmacy icons was advertising, the icons are characteristic of the 1960s Pop Art aesthetic and reflected Bob Simon’s inclination that the plaza’s sculpture be fun. The oversized depictions of items commonly sold in a 1960s drugstore advertised the pharmacy that also contained a fountain counter and a post office substation. Larry Cohn was the pharmacist and owner for 44 years until his retirement in 2014. The building will soon be occupied by new businesses. Since the icons do not reflect the new businesses it was decided to remove the icons from the façade. In order to preserve these important icons, the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association donated the icons to the Reston Historic Trust & Museum in July, 2018. On July 17, 2018, the icons were removed by Capitol Museum Services and placed in storage until they can be reinstalled in a new location at Lake Anne Plaza.The installation being designed by Jeanne Krohn, who designed the Reston Historic Trust & Museum’s interior. It is imperative that these icons remain at Lake Anne Plaza, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places last year. The icons are an important part of Lake Anne Plaza’s history, represent an original store that conducted business for more than 40 years, and an example of Chermayeff and Geismar's work. The Reston Historic Trust & Museum will shortly be raising funds to assist in the preservation of the pharmacy icons so that they will remain on Lake Anne Plaza. Contact the Reston Historic Trust & Museum at 703-709-7700 or at info@restonmuseum.org if you have any questions.