Marian Van Landingham

[1] Marian Van Landingham was born in Albany, Georgia and graduated from Druid Hills High School in Atlanta in 1955.

[5] In 1973 Van Landingham proposed that a 20th-century,[4] "leaky, drafty, pigeon infested" former military factory, located in Alexandria, Virginia, be transformed into an artist studio space and art center.

[4][6] She served as the volunteer president for Alexandria's Art League, and she succeeded in convincing the city to fund the $140,000[4] for the renovation.

The Factory's renovation also helped trigger the revitalization of the city's waterfront along the Potomac River, housing 150 artists.

[1][4] Mark Warner, who then served as Governor of Virginia, described her work in the house as being "the voice that would step up and argue for what was right," in a conservative legislature, "even those that didn't agree with her views had a great respect for her.