Honoring the Life and Legacy of Bob Wormald, our Founder
Bob Wormald, prominent DC regional real estate developer, who created the first year-round residency neo-Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) in the United States dies at age 93
On Saturday, November 30, 2024, Robert (“Bob”) Kingston Wormald, Sr. of Potomac, MD passed into the presence of his Lord Jesus Christ.
The Early Years
The son of Harry and Stella Wormald, Bob was born September 13, 1931 in Takoma Park, MD, and grew up in Arlington, VA.
Bob received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a structural engineer with the rank of First Lieutenant during the Korean War from 1953 to 1955 and served in the U.S. Army reserves until 1961.
Bob worked at Carl F. Freeman, a developer and builder, from 1958 to 1964 and rose to the position of Civil Engineering Design Department Head. In 1964, he launched out on his own and started Robert K. Wormald, Inc., a home building company, out of a basement office in his home in Potomac, Maryland. Myra, his wife, was his office manager, and the first house they built was their own home in Potomac, MD. Some of his earliest communities built, among others, were Flower Valley (Rockville, MD), Loch Haven (Ijamsville, MD), and Manor Village (Rockville, MD).
The Disrupter / Innovator in Community Design and Development
In 1976, Bob bought a large piece of land (over 300 acres) in Frederick, MD. Bob had a dream of creating a special interconnected community with a strong town core, inspired by New England small towns and European piazzas. After a multi-year effort of planning charrettes and adding an entire section to the City of Frederick’s zoning ordinance, the result was Worman’s Mill, the first year-round residency neo-Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) in the United States comprising of over 1,500 homes. That community won the Maryland Smart Growth Award, drew recognition from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, won a national award for smart growth through the National Association of Home Builders, and received international attention from as far away as Japan by planners and developers seeking to learn how to design better communities. The hallmarks of great TND design include: (1) the preservation of large swaths of forest, streams, and open fields (in Bob’s case 100 acres of the 300 at Worman’s Mill), (2) the narrowing of streets to calm traffic speeds and increase walkability via interconnected sidewalks and walking trails, (3) hiding the automobile and getting rid of large surface parking lots in favor of hidden parking in alleyways, (4) mixing types of housing to create “whole life communities” where housing suitable for young families to the elderly would come together in one place where generations can learn from and support one another, and (5) and most importantly, creating a “town core” with shops, restaurants, and regular activities and programming where residents can enjoy life together and build community. Wormald put the senior living right in the town core rather than putting them off on the periphery as so many communities were doing to give the seniors honor and access in community life. All these principles were a bold disruption to the “suburban sprawl” model of development which was so common and which the zoning codes facilitated. Wormald coined his own specific brand of TND and called it “Town N’ Country” or TNC design – where a formal town core with grided streets was surrounded by more rural, free-form streets with interesting landscaping and parks, and varied architecture, to create whimsical and beautiful places to discover. The genius of this approach to design was simply about rediscovering what worked best in the past and reinventing it for our modern age; and Bob Wormald had the vision and boldness to lead the development community “back to the basics”.
Leaving a Legacy
With the help of his three sons, to whom he transitioned the next generation of leadership, Bob had built over 2,000 homes in the DC region celebrated by regional and national awards for high quality design and construction. Today, Wormald has grown to one of the largest new home builders in the nation (ranked 145th in 2023). During his career, Bob served as a Director of the Suburban Maryland Building Industry Association and took on a variety of industry leadership roles. Bob was active in regional planning with the Urban Land Institute, promoted better land planning with the National Association of Home Builders, and at the state level helped draft new legislation for building code reform. Bob was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, a prestigious joint award of the Northern Virginia Building Industry and Maryland Building Industry Associations, for his important contributions to the field of real estate development and home building.
A Man of Faith
Bob was a long-time member of the Falls Church Anglican Church, active in the premarital mentoring and prayer ministries, as well as serving on the building committee. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Central Union Mission, a homeless shelter, and was involved in a variety of other Christian ministries, including Young Life where he served on the Montgomery County Maryland Committee, the Northeast Divisional Committee, and the Young Life Foundation.
Earlier in his life, he served as Senior Warden of the Vestry and Chair of the Outreach Committee at Christ Church Rockville, MD. He also served as a board member of Christ Episcopal School and was a member of both the Washington Episcopal Diocese Evangelism Commission and the Church Planting Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. He and his wife, Myra, were committed to the work of evangelism through the work of Faith Alive and Alpha Ministries.
The Family Man
Bob was an avid sailor, snow skier, and gifted artist. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and family, including trips with all 17 of his grandchildren whom he cherished.
Beloved husband of Myra Embrey Wormald; devoted father of Robert Kingston Wormald, Jr (wife, Eleanor), Edward Everett Wormald (wife, Patricia), Ellen Wormald Kight (husband, Jeffrey), and Kenneth Montgomery Wormald (wife, Rachel). He is also survived by his sister Marion Grabowski, 17 grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life
Family will receive friends at Pumphrey’s Colonial Funeral Home, 300 W. Montgomery Ave, Rockville, MD on Sunday, December 15, 2024 from 4 to 7 pm. A Celebration of Life will be held at Falls Church Anglican Church, 6565 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22042 on Monday, December 16, 2024 at 1:30 pm. Interment will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Central Union Mission, 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20001, here: missiondc.org/Wormald or to Falls Church Anglican at the above address or online at: onrealm.org/TFCA/give/BobWormaldMemorial