April 9 - On this Day in Howard County History: In 1996 James W. Rouse Died
The visionary founder of Columbia was probably the most influential person in 20th Century Howard County – An idealist, Rouse abounded with enthusiasm yet maintained his humility.
Born on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1914, James Rouse began working in the housing industry in the 1930s and in the 1950s became a successful developer of shopping centers and malls. Along the way, he became very interested in how to make cities better places for people to live and grow in.[1]
By the early 1960s, Rouse was ready to create a new model city. With financial backing from an insurance company, in 1963 he acquired 14,000 acres of land in Howard County on which the city of Columbia would be built.[2]
Four major goals went into the planning for Columbia: (1) to create a real city where people lived, worked, shopped, etc., and not just a bedroom community; (2) to respect the land; (3) to create an environment that nurtured the growth of people; and (4) to earn a profit. Rouse’s Columbia would be open to people of all races and economic classes.[3] Planning that went into Columbia’s schools also provided the catalyst for the innovation and improvement of schools throughout Howard County.[4]
Sales of homes in Columbia’s first village, Wilde Lake, began in 1967.
A man of deep religious convictions, in 1982 Rouse founded the Enterprise Foundation, a non-profit that provided housing to the poor in dozens of American cities. In 1995 President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[5]
When Jim Rouse died on April 9, 1996 at his home in the Bryant Woods neighborhood of Wilde Lake, one-third of Howard County residents lived in Columbia. Today, thirty years after his death, Rouse continues to be revered by thousands. The city that he founded has often been named among the best places to live in America, and new proposals are still judged by whether they are consistent with Rouse’s vision for Columbia.
By Jerry Ueckermann
[1] Mitchell, Joseph Rocco and Stebenne, David L., New City Upon a Hill – A History of Columbia, Maryland (History Press 2007) pp. 28-50.
[2] Ibid, pp. 51-64.
[3] Testimony of James Rouse in Hearing Before the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Hearing held in Baltimore Aug. 17–19 , 1970 (U.S. Government Printing Office), pp. 448-451.
[4] Hovet, Mary, “Innovations in Education”, in Creating a New City – Columbia Maryland, Tennenbaum, Robert, ed., (Perry Publishing 1996); 1987 James Rouse interview in Columbia’s Promise, Maryland Public Television from MPT Columbia documentary (2019), 17:30 https://www.pbs.org/video/columbias-promise-mifikc/ ; Finley, William, “Planning Memories”, in Columbia Maryland – A Fifty-Year Retrospective on the Making of a Model City, Tennenbaum, Robert ed. (c. 2017), pp.24-25.
[5] Lally, Kathy, “Urban Visionary Succumbs at 81”, Baltimore Sun, April 10, 1996, p. 1.