My Downtown Mall

Lawrence Halprin 1916 - 2009

The visionary and designer of the Charlottesville Downtown Pedestrian Mall, Lawrence Halprin passed away October 25, 2009 - he was 93.

This past summer Halprin was able to see Charlottesville Downtown Pedestrian Mall Rehabilitaion project come to completion.  "The work looks fabulous and the obvious community outreach was inspiring," Halprin commented, after viewing the Mydowntownmall.com website. 

We take this opportunity to remember Halprin and his work which can be seen all over the globe, as well as treasure the Downtown Pedestrian Mall which is the heart of our community.

More information on Halprin can be found here.

New Press links

There are several new links to recent press about the mall.  Check out the press list on the right side of the page.

Rededication Ceremony Pictures

On Friday May 29th the City gathered at "Center Place" for the Mall Rededication ceremony.  This ceremony served to celebrate the completion of construction, and to thank key stakeholders along with those who made this undertaking become a reality.

Here are a few pictures.  Enjoy.

Granite Bricks

There has been plenty of inquisition about the "gray" bricks on the new mall surface to justify a post devoted to just this subject matter. 

The gray bricks are actually pieces of granite cut to be the size of a 4x12 brick.  The purpose of these off-colored brick is to designate the fire lane, and, the cafe/vendor spaces.  As seen  in the picture below; the two granite bricks come together to delineate the extent of the vendor's allotted space. 

So What Now?

As has been evident to all of the Downtown Mall's visitors, things sure seem to be back to normal.  The shops are open, restaurants are busy with patrons, street merchants are all back in place and the beautiful flower pots are blooming.  Oh ya, the free Wi-Fi is up and running so get out there and enjoy that!

So what is left to be done? 

Even though the Downtown Mall has already had its dedication ceremony, and the construction crews are virtually unseen, there is still a few little things to tidy up.  So over the next few weeks we will be back to bringing our weekly updates (several per week), to keep everyone up to date. 

A few things you can expect to see happening:

• Fountain Restorations
• Bench replacements
• Water-Proofing sealant around the tree-grates

        (just to name a few)

So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading the most recent updates, and maybe we'll even try to throw in a few surprises. 

-Your Downtown Mall Team

May 4th City Council Presentation

Video Day!!

3 Days and Counting

Construction Weather:  Sunny and Beautiful, 66^oF - 90^oF

Construction activity is winding down, and cafe dining along the Mall is picking up!  Here's just a few pics of the action.  Stay tuned tomorrow for a special edition of the MyDowntownMall Blog :)

2nd St. West Vehicular Crossing is nearing completion.

Rapture's cafe is up and at 'em!

Survey crews from TB Linclon Land Surveyors were on the Mall today locating the granite fire-lane delineating bricks.

Siips Provides the Final Construction Team Lunch

George Benford the owner of Siips Wine and Champagne Bar on the Mall has been one of the projects largest supporters.  Today he provided lunch to the construction team at Central Place.  It was great for the guys to get a little break during this lovely spring weather.

Makin' a Comeback!

The Carousel is back in its place.  The favorite attraction of every child who visits the Mall has been relocated to the spot right in front of the Discovery Museum.