Church Street Marketplace

44°28′42″N 73°12′46″W / 44.4782°N 73.2127°W / 44.4782; -73.2127

The Church Street Marketplace, looking south from Bank Street in 2013.
The Church Street Marketplace, looking north from Main Street in 2013.

The Church Street Marketplace is an uncovered outdoor pedestrian shopping and dining mall in Burlington, Vermont, consisting of the four blocks of Church Street between Main and Pearl Streets. The mall was initially conceived in 1958 and was built in 1980-81 to a design by Carr, Lynch Associates of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It encompasses about 86 storefronts and is managed by the Church Street Marketplace Commission.

Major retailers include five national chain stores as well as local retailers of clothing, home-wares, books, and other goods. It is the site of festivals throughout the year. Events such as the South End Art Hop and public galleries such as The Firehouse Gallery provide a forum for the visual arts. The American Planning Association named the Church Street Marketplace one of America's "Great Public Spaces" for 2008.[1] The marketplace is also home to dozens of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.

  1. ^ Briggs, John. "Marketplace: 'Great Public Space'" Burlington Free Press (October 9, 2008)