Hoffman Town Center History

Dutch Hoffman was born in Washington, D.C. He was orphaned at the age of 16 when his only living relative, his sister Mildred, died during childbirth. After her death, Mildred’s husband lent Dutch $20 and sent him on his way. Dutch entered the Army Air Corps, signing up for Officer Candidate School, and rose to the rank of Captain during World War II. In 1942, Dutch married Peggy Lois Rankles. Together they had five children: Hubert N. (Jay) Hoffman III, Nancy Connor, Holly Nolting, Thomas Hoffman, and Timothy Hoffman. Dutch dabbled in baked goods and dry cleaning before moving into the life insurance business. Through hard work and determination, he led New York Life Insurance in sales for seven years and was president of their “Top Club” in 1951. Though he made a good living, Dutch was driven to achieve greater success. He believed he could not fully realize his ambitions in life insurance. Dutch would say, “A brilliant businessman constantly seeks the field that offers the greatest return for his efforts.” He believed that level of success could be achieved in real estate development. In 1958, Dutch used every penny he had to purchase 71 acres near Telegraph Road for $200,000. To others, the land did not appear promising, but to Dutch it was the Land of Opportunity. The property was mostly swamp land and home to a trailer park and a landfill. To many, Dutch became known as the “Swamp Fox.” Shortly after his purchase, the federal government acquired a portion of Dutch’s land for the new Capital Beltway, dramatically increasing the property’s value. In 1966, The Hoffman Companies were founded by Dutch and his son, Jay, a general contractor. Together, they went on to develop the land upon which you stand today.