Downtown Mall

The Downtown Mall. The Paramount Theater is in the background.

The Charlottesville Pavilion at the south end of the mall.

The Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Virginia is one of the longest pedestrian malls in the United States.^[1] Located on Main Street, it runs from 6th St. N.E. to Old Preston Ave., where it extends to Water St., for total length of eight blocks. It is laid with brick and concrete, and home to an array of restaurants, shops, offices and art galleries. On Fridays in the spring, summer and fall, the Downtown Mall is host to Fridays After 5, a weekly concert series. Several side streets are also paved in brick and likewise closed to traffic. On the east, the Mall ends at the Charlottesville Pavilion, an outdoor concert venue, while the west end of the Mall features an Omni Hotel and a recently defunct indoor ice skating rink. It is also home to the newly renovated Paramount Theater and the historic Jefferson Theater.

History

In 1976, East Main Street was converted into a pedestrian mall designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin.^[2] In 2007, Charlottesville planned a comprehensive rehabilitation and renovation of the Downtown Mall.^[3] Construction on the Mall Renovation began on Sunday, January 7th, 2009 and was completed that summer ^[4].

References

1. ^ Daly, Kyle (2007-06-26). "Well above average" (in English). C-Ville Weekly. http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=121304064644348&z_Issue_ID=11042506072544592&ShowArchiveArticle_ID=11042506073696973. Retrieved 2008-06-21. 
2. ^ "History of Downtown". City of Charlottesville. http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=814. Retrieved 2008-06-21. 
3. ^ "Purpose and Need". City of Charlottesville. http://www.mydowntownmall.com/purposeneed.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-21. 
4. ^ "My Downtown Mall". City of Charlottesville. http://www.mydowntownmall.com. Retrieved 2010-07-06. 

Further reading

• "Downzone Mall: Developers not 'taken' with new plan", The Hook.
• "Mall renovations: Downtown businesses not reassured", The Hook.
• ""Fountainplus? Mall design includes lots more water", The Hook.
• ""Downtown Mall Renovation Website", City of Charlottesville.

Coordinates: 38°01′49″N 78°28′48″W / 38.030279°N 78.479998°W / 38.030279; -78.479998