The Charlottesville Downtown Mall is a nationally-acclaimed and pedestrian-friendly commercial, residential, and entertainment district that was designed by Lawrence Halprin in 1974. It is home to a vibrant collection of more than 120 shops and 30 restaurants located in the historic buildings on and around old Main Street in Charlottesville, Virginia. Today, only about 30 of the original 200 pedestrian malls remain and many of those have reopened portions to accommodate vehicular traffic. In an effort to preserve this historic landmark, the City of Charlottesville in 2002, engaged the firm of Wallace, Roberts, and Todd (WRT) to review the original design and determine what updates/restorations were required to ensure continued vitality of the pedestrian mall. The results from the study suggested that the Downtown Mall, after almost 30 years of wear and tear, needed a complete “facelift.”

This document was submitted to the Alliance for Innovation for consideration for a 2010 Innovation Award.