Wilde Lake is a man-made drainage reservoir dug in 1966 and also named after the surrounding "village" of neighborhoods located in Columbia, Maryland, just north and west of Columbia Town Center. The village was the first part of Columbia's "New Town" to be built in the late 1960s, James W. Rouse and Frazar B. Wilde formally opened the neighborhood on June 21, 1967. The lake and village are named for Frazar B. Wilde, a past chairman of the board of Connecticut General Life Insurance Company and former employer of James Rouse. In 1963, the company agreed to fund the secret land purchases and, in return, acquired an equity participation. This arrangement was subsequently formalized by the creation of The Howard Research and Development Corporation, the joint venture established to develop Columbia. Wilde Lake Wilde Lake collects storm water runoff from 1140 acres, with a maximum capacity of 48,200,000 gallons. Rouse executive Mort Hoppenfeld designed the 27-foot tall, 200-foot wide dam across the Patuxent River branch which flooded the fields between the historic stone buildings of Oakland Manor and the pre-colonial Old Oakland manor. The dam project was budgeted at $500,000 for construction, but came in at $900,000 by the time of construction. A rapid change in design by engineer George Levine reduced the cost to $250,000 In 1969, Spiro Agnew proclaimed the arrival of the first Columbia-based scientific firm, Hittman Associates, who relocated for favorable lease rates from Howard Research and Development. Hittman in turn was contracted by the EPA, recommending Wilde Lake reuse storm water runoff from the reservoir for Columbia resident's drinking water to save on development costs. Neighborhoods Neighborhoods in the Village of Wilde Lake were built around the Oakland Manor, a former slave plantation. Some historical buildings were razed for the development, but other stone outbuildings dating to the 1700s still stand in the community. John E Slayton was hired to be the first manager of Columbia. He moved into a historic home with his wife Barbra becoming Columbia's first resident and postmaster. Officials would not release the cause of the 37-year-old manager's sudden death soon after in January 1967. Guards were stationed at the private access roads to the post office for safety reasons but were later ordered to allow the public access during its operating hours. Ten homebuilding contractors were chosen to build homes in the development. James P. Ryan left his family business