If you’ve been away from Arlington since our 40th reunion in 2011, you’ll no doubt notice a big change when you arrive for our 50th next week. Marymount University’s “Blue Goose” building — the “Blue” comes from its distinctive blue tiles — has been replaced by a shiny (and sustainable) building called Ballston Center.
The Blue Goose was built by M.T. Broyhill & Sons (remember them?) in 1963. According to InsideNova.com, “The origins of the name ‘Blue Goose’ are shrouded in the mists of history. But Jeanne Broyhill, whose father and uncle were responsible for construction of the building and much else in Northern Virginia during the era, says she always remembers it by that nickname. (A nearby building, now long gone, was known as the Green Hornet, Broyhill said.)”
Ballston Center opened in 2017. But the memory of the Blue Goose lingers on. The courtyard to the right of the building contains four two-sided historical markers partly constructed with the Blue Goose’s iconic blue panels.
Read an entertaining article about the history of the Blue Goose.