Flashback Monday: A skyscraper emerges from the primeval ooze

Well, maybe not, but this is a shot of what appears to be the central core of Heron House, the fancy high-rise at Lake Anne Village Center, rising from the muddy shores of what would become the lake -- and most likely the tallest freestanding structure anywhere west of the Beltway at the time, unless you count the random odd grain solo or whatnot.

Reston's original plans called for a number of similar high-rise buildings to dot the area around Lake Anne, but that never came to fruition, though the awesome new comprehensive plan for the area is destined to turn it into "another Manhattan," complete with a Times-Square like plaza of fancy neon signs and polyglot hot dog vendors and a $65 million rec center across the street, fulfilling Reston's long-deferred dream of indoor tennis courts.

Sorry -- just got a little carried away there. Something like that would never happen.