Marcus J. Bles

Marcus J. Bles (1905/1906 (?) - January 9, 1986) moved to Northern Virginia in 1941 from Missouri, where he had been a farmer, and established a business in earth-moving equipment where he was involved in the construction of the Pentagon. By the 1950s, his construction firm, M.J. Bles Construction Co., was one of the largest construction companies in Northern Virginia. 

He eventually expanded to become a real estate developer. In the 1950s, Bles assembled the land that would become Tyson's Corner Shopping Center in Virginia, which he sold in the 1960s for $19 million. 

Connection to Georgetown

Bles had a young daughter, Marcey Ann (d. 1980), who was mentally disabled and epileptic.1 When Georgetown doctors were able to improve her condition, he became a frequent donor to the University and donated 600 acres of land in Loudoun County, Virginia.2

In 1971, Georgetown University awarded him an honorary doctor of science degree. He died at Georgetown University Hospital on January 9, 1986 of pneumonia.3

The Marcus J. Bles Building is named in his honor.4 

5

• 1Bart Barnes, "Marcus Bles, 81, Dies, Land Investor Parlayed $50 Into $50 Million," The Washington Post, January 10, 1986. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1986/01/10/marcus-bles-81-dies-land-investor-parlayed-50-into-50-million/0753c6de-533f-4fdf-b73c-f35f2164f316/
• 2Francis X. Ballman, "Marcus J. Bles Building," Building Outlines Campus Buildings, 1789 – 1995, Father Lawrence Hurley Memorial Edition, Francis X. Ballmann and the Division of Facilities, 1995, p. 5.
• 3Bart Barnes, "Marcus Bles, 81, Dies, Land Investor Parlayed $50 Into $50 Million," The Washington Post, January 10, 1986. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1986/01/10/marcus-bles-81-dies-land-investor-parlayed-50-into-50-million/0753c6de-533f-4fdf-b73c-f35f2164f316/
• 4Francis X. Ballman, "Marcus J. Bles Building," Building Outlines Campus Buildings, 1789 – 1995, Father Lawrence Hurley Memorial Edition, Francis X. Ballmann and the Division of Facilities, 1995, p. 5.
• 5Bart Barnes, "Marcus Bles, 81, Dies, Land Investor Parlayed $50 Into $50 Million," The Washington Post, January 10, 1986. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1986/01/10/marcus-bles-81-dies-land-investor-parlayed-50-into-50-million/0753c6de-533f-4fdf-b73c-f35f2164f316/