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Downtown Mall

The Downtown Mall with Paramount Theater in the background.
Location	Charlottesville, Virginia
Coordinates	38°01′49″N 78°28′48″W / 38.0303°N 78.4800°W / 38.0303; -78.4800
Address	East Main Street
Opening date	1978
Architect	Lawrence Halprin
No. of stores and services	40
Website	friendsofcville.org

The Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Virginia is one of the longest pedestrian malls in the United States. 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 Five, 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 Ting Pavilion, an outdoor concert venue, while the west end of the Mall features an Omni Hotel. 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. In 2007, Charlottesville planned a comprehensive rehabilitation and renovation of the Downtown Mall. Construction on the Mall Renovation began on Sunday, January 7, 2009 and was completed that summer. The 2017 Charlottesville car attack, in which a car was deliberately rammed into a crowd during a peaceful protest occurred on Market Street, only one block away from the Downtown Mall. Portions of the Mall and adjacent streets were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Charlottesville Downtown Mall Historic District in 2024.

References

1. Brunet, Kathleen (1986-11-11). "Charlottesville mall works for downtown". Daily Progress. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
2. "History of Downtown". City of Charlottesville. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
3. "Purpose and Need". City of Charlottesville. Archived from the original on 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
4. "WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 2/2/2024 THROUGH 2/8/2024". National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-02-14.

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.

• Buildings and structures in Charlottesville, Virginia
• Pedestrian malls in the United States
• Tourist attractions in Charlottesville, Virginia
• National Register of Historic Places in Charlottesville, Virginia