Downtown Charlottesville sees hotel boom

Between the Corner and downtown Charlottesville, five hotel projects are in the works—and that doesn’t include the recently opened Residence Inn on the corner of West Main Street and Ridge-McIntire Road, nor Graduate Charlottesville, which opened last year. City and tourism officials say this hotel-building frenzy is an economic windfall for the area and provides […]

Bank of America to close downtown branch

Bank of America is closing its location on the Downtown Mall February 17, branch customers learned by letter April 20. “What, we’re closing?” a teller there asked this morning when she heard a colleague inform a customer on the phone. Built in 1916, the structure was originally Peoples National Bank and has housed Virginia National Bank, Sovran […]

Downtown parking meters are a go

At an April 4 City Council meeting, councilors voted 4-1 to move forward with a plan to install parking meters at 157 parking spaces around the Downtown Mall, as part of a six-month pilot program. Those spaces, which are currently free, will cost $2 an hour, in 15-minute increments, with the first 30 minutes free, […]

The Young Men’s Shop’s final farewell

The Young Men’s Shop—opened by Henry Reuben on the Downtown Mall in 1927—is closing its doors after nearly 90 years of selling tailored suits and brightly colored ties. “It’s been here basically for 89 years and I guess it’s just a part of Charlottesville,” says current owner Harry Marshall, who says he’ll miss interacting with […]

Longo’s legacy: Cameras coming to a mall and cop near you

Much to the dismay of a local civil libertarian, outgoing Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo will finally get the surveillance cameras on the Downtown Mall he’s long desired. Hardware estimates fell from their previous high of $300,000, and the police surveillance system nine years in the making has finally won the support of City Council. […]

Mayor doesn’t rule out condemning Landmark

The skeletal Landmark Hotel officially went from eyesore to public safety hazard last week when a beam went through the roof of next-door CVS. “Debris blew off the building and could have killed someone,” said Mayor Mike Signer on “Wake-Up Call” January 17. The city closed the area around the hotel January 14, and the […]

Lights out: Blue Light Grill to close permanently

You may remember an announcement we made about Blue Light Grill a few months ago. In April, the Downtown Mall favorite that had been serving up seafood and cocktails since Coran Capshaw opened it 14 years ago quietly switched hands. Trinity Irish Pub and Coupe’s owner Ryan Rooney took over, and we were told the […]

‘Smells and bells’ empty Wells Fargo building

The Wells Fargo building on the Downtown Mall was evacuated around lunch time Monday because of smoke on the seventh floor. A locked-up motor in a mechanical room on that floor caused the alarm, according to Charlottesville Fire Department Battalion Chief W. A. Hogsten. Even though the ladder truck was extended to the top floor, […]