CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — The sweltering heat couldn’t take away from the celebration half-a-century in the making on the Downtown Mall.

50 years to the day after the final brick was laid on the mall, Charlottesville leaders and residents gathered to celebrate the momentous anniversary on Friday.

The anniversary, occurring in conjunction with the 250th Anniversary of the United States, marked a major milestone for the city and broader community, and the planning for the event itself spanned over multiple years.

As such, Charlottesville Mayor Juandiego Wade told Cville Right Now that even with the heat dome, it was still important to acknowledge the occasion.

“It’s not something you can postpone because it was 50 years … to this very day,” he said.
”So everything just kind of lined up, and so we’re gonna, we have things our here to make people safe, and we’re gonna make it short and sweet, but to acknowledge this moment.”

Even with the heat, the 50th Birthday Party at Central Place remained well-attended, with attendees receiving free ice cream from Chap’s and enjoying music from the brass section of the Cville Band.

“We always worry about if people actually will choose to come,” City Manager Sam Sanders told Cville Right Now. “And we understand that people had to make different choices because of the heat. But I’m glad their folks are here, because this is a big moment.”

Aside from Wade and Sanders, the party was also attended by Vice Mayor Natalie Oschrin and City Councilor Jen Fleischer, as well as State Del. Katrina Callsen (D, Charlottesville) and State Sen. Creigh Deeds (D, Charlottesville).

All five elected officials spoke during the ceremony, followed by Josh Mayo, one of the grandchildren of the original owners of The Nook, John & Mary Williams.

He was followed by Julie Montross, CEO & Executive Director of the Paramount Theater, and Beth Meyer, UVA’s Professor of Landscape Architecture.

Each spoke about a different aspect of the mall and what it brings to the community. Mayo discussed its role as a social hub, Montross discussed the community support the mall has received, including in the revitalized of the Paramount at the turn of the century. Finally, Meyer discussed the design and beauty of the mall.

Each aspect of the mall highlighted helped paint a picture of what makies it special to Charlottesville.

“It’s so unique,” Wade told Cville Right Now. “And that [is] something that we’re proud of, and that we can celebrate that, but also kind of look to see how we’re gonna move forward to the future to make it better, to make it even more pleasing to the public.”

The festivities for the day began before at 10 a.m.with a Tour of Downtown Mall by the Charlottesville Historical Society, followed by tours of the society’s exhibit titled “Then and Now: Charlottesville in the 1970s” that afternoon

The celebration continued with the birthday party at Central Place, followed a Fridays After Five performance from Baaba Seth, a performance by Don Flemons and the Traveling Wildfires at the Paramount and a community lantern parade and light show to close out the day.

In many ways, Charlottesville coming together on the mall was an apt way to commemorate its anniversary.

“It is always great to get to that moment when you actually have the event go off and go off without a hitch,” Sanders said. “Because people are actually here. Ideally, it’s just a great moment to celebrate what is about community, and that is the Downtown Mall.”