The Corner (UVA)
While the university is in session, The Corner is especially active at lunchtime, when faculty, staff, and students adjourn there for the midday meal. Patrons of the Corner's sidewalk cafés can be found spending time over a good book or simply sipping coffee and people watching. Of the 67 businesses in the district, all but sixteen are locally owned, though there has been an increase in chain stores recently. The Corner is encompassed by a Charlottesville historic district, limiting redevelopment and demolition.
As of 2000, The Corner had 26 restaurants, eleven bars, three coffee shops, one hotel, and one apartment building.
History
The district was originally a literal corner, where the university's main entrance intersected with Three Chopt Road (now Main Street), which was the major route between Staunton and Richmond. UVa was established at a distance of a mile from Charlottesville, and was its own town by the name of "University." A significant commercial district developed to serve the needs of university students and employees, with a railroad stop, a post office, restaurants and shops. As downtown Charlottesville developed, followed by the corridor of Route 29 North in the mid-1900s, the Corner district came to consist more of small shops and bars, losing its movie theater, post office, train depot, etc.
References
- ^ McKenzie, Bryan (2007-05-13). "The Corner: Retail, student hub gives sense of place". The Daily Progress. Media General. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
- ^ "Exploring the University of Virginia and Charlottesville". University of Virginia. 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
- ^ Barefoot, Coy (2007-05-01). "Down on the Corner". The University of Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
Further reading
- Barefoot, Coy. "The Corner: A History of Student Life at the University of Virginia." Howell Press Inc.; Charlottesville, VA; 2001. ISBN 1-57427-113-X.