Willard (Virginia)

Willard (also known as Willard Crossroads) is a former unincorporated area in Loudoun County , Virginia, and was formerly located in what is now Washington Dulles International Airport .

The village was named after Joseph Edward Willard , a member of the Virginia General Assembly from 1893-1901. Although Willard was in Loudoun County, he represented Fairfax County because of the village's location, which was only 1,500 feet (460 meters) from the county line. Willard also owned a 0.2 km² property in Fairfax . His father was Joseph Clapp Willard, the owner of the famous Willard Hotel in Washington, DC

Willard was at the intersection of Willard Road (now Stonecroft Boulevard) with Sterling Road (now Horsepen Road). This intersection was surrounded by farms, houses, a school, a church, the Willard Store (until 1907) and the Blue Ridge Airfield (1938–1951). At the beginning of the 20th century, Willard was west of Floris, north of Pleasant Valley and south of Farmwell (now Ashburn ). Although Willard's best period was between 1900 and 1910, it was still recognized as an intersection until 1958 when construction began on Washington Dulles International Airport.

When Dulles was being built, Willard was torn down to make way for airport terminals and a control tower. Runways, hangars, a fire station and parking lots were built in the Willard area. The Blue Ridge Airport has been converted into the main parking lot, which is located within the "Saarinen Circle". Dulles was assigned an area of ​​68 km², which earlier belonged not only to Willard, but also parts of Chantilly, Pleasant Valley, Sterling and Ashburn, which shows the immense size of the airport area. By 1962, most of the traces of the old streets and buildings had been erased and airport operations could begin. Willard Road (Stonecroft Boulevard) has been preserved and is now used for private driveway and transport within the airport between runways 1L / 19R and 1R / 19L.

Coordinates: 38 ° 57 ′  N , 77 ° 26 ′  W