ARLINGTON, Va. – Arlington County today joined non-profit housing developer AHC in honoring Dr. Roland Herman Bruner, a physician who served our community for decades. The County and AHC unveiled a historic marker at the site of Bruner’s former home in the historic Nauck neighborhood.

 

From 1934 to 1978, Dr. Bruner was one of the few African-American physicians with a practice serving Arlington’s African-American population.

 

"We are delighted to honor Dr. Bruner, a pillar of the Nauck community and of Arlington, who, even after his death, is giving back,” said Board Vice Chairman Mary Hynes, who attended the unveiling. “This is a wonderful confluence of history, and affordable housing in a great neighborhood.”

 

Dr. Bruner’s former home, in the 2000 block of South Glebe Road, has been incorporated into a mixed-income townhome development, Bruner Place, built by AHC, a frequent partner with the County in providing affordable housing.

 

The County subsidized the seven homes, making them affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income, ($66,240 for a family of four in the year 2000, when the project was developed).

Qualified first-time homebuyers also received down payment and closing cost assistance of $25,000 through the County's Moderate Income Purchase Assistance Program (MIPAP).

 

 “Dr. Bruner gave so much to the community, and AHC is proud to honor his legacy with this new plaque as well as the townhomes behind it that will provide affordable homeownership opportunities for neighborhood families for years to come,” said Walter D. Webdale, AHC Inc. President and CEO.

 

Dr. Bruner, a graduate of Howard University Medical School and later, a member of its faculty, performed many home birth deliveries in Arlington at a time when few hospitals in the region accepted African-American patients. Often, his patients paid him in goods or services rather than cash. He was a founder of Arlington’s Planned Parenthood Clinics and the only African-American doctor employed by the County’s Dept. of Health’s prenatal clinic.

 

Dr. Bruner’s daughter, Dr. Denise Ellen Bruner, a practicing physician in Arlington, continues her father’s work and legacy.

 

AHC Inc. is a private, nonprofit developer of affordable housing based in Arlington. Founded in 1975, AHC produces and preserves affordable housing, provides homeownership services, and offers onsite educational services to improve the quality of residents’ lives.