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2020 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 264
Commending the Nachman family.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 24, 2020
Agreed to by the Senate, February 27, 2020
 

WHEREAS, for more than 100 years, members of the Nachman family, generous patrons of the arts and dedicated community leaders, have served and strengthened the Herndon community; and

WHEREAS, Julius Nachman immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1911 and worked in various general retail stores in Baltimore, where he met his future wife, Anna; and

WHEREAS, in 1919, Julius Nachman purchased an interest in Cohen’s Store in downtown Herndon, where he and Anna began to raise their family, beginning an unparalleled legacy of community engagement and civic service; and

WHEREAS, after the Cohen family sold their stake in the store, Julius and Anna Nachman renamed the business as Nachman’s and lived on the second floor of the building; their son Philip “Melvin” Nachman and grandsons Howard and Arthur Nachman inherited the family business as time went on; and

WHEREAS, over the course of 75 years, Nachman’s adapted to changes in customer preferences, as well as the community’s evolution from a rural to a suburban area; and

WHEREAS, after the store closed in 1994, Howard and Arthur Nachman operated their commercial real estate company on the first floor, but rented the second floor to local artists, a catalyst for the establishment of the Herndon Art District; the family supported a downtown concert series and a mural program that depicted local history, as well as a program to provide instruments and lessons to young musicians; and

WHEREAS, the Nachman family completed numerous renovations and enhancements to the building to better serve the community, and Howard and Arthur Nachman ultimately moved their business to the second floor and rented the ground floor to other local businesses; and

WHEREAS, the Nachman’s department store building is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Herndon Historic District and is the oldest continuously occupied commercial building in Herndon, with Green Lizard Cycling as its current tenant in 2020; and

WHEREAS, in addition to their contributions to the retail industry and cultural life in Herndon, members of the Nachman family supported the community as public servants, with Melvin Nachman and Howard Nachman both winning election to the Herndon Town Council; and

WHEREAS, members of the Nachman family have volunteered their time and leadership to the Herndon Volunteer Fire Department, Herndon Rotary Club, Herndon Business and Professional Women’s Club, Herndon Optimist Club, the Herndon Economic Development Authority, and local chapters of the Freemasons and the Order of the Eastern Star; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Nachman family for more than 100 years of service to the Herndon community; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Nachman family as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the family’s incredible contributions to generations of Herndon residents.