Twentieth Anniversary Celebration, June, 2002

(In June, 2002, the Church Street Marketplace celebrated its 20th anniversary. Following is the text from a special newspaper that was produced for the occasion)

The tragedy of September 11, 2001 and its aftermath are still very much on our minds. Originally, our 20^th anniversary celebration had been planned for Saturday, September 14, 2001. We cancelled the planned celebration and rescheduled for Saturday, June 1, 2002. As we try to make sense of what’s happened, we hope the 20^th anniversary celebration can serve the community as an opportunity to come together, count our blessings and express gratitude for all that we have. We thank you for your continued support of the Church Street Marketplace and send you our very best wishes as we, together, celebrate 20 years.

Church Street Marketplace Commission and Staff

A GEM IN THE CROWN
By Ron Redmond, Executive Director, Church Street Marketplace

It began as a one-day experiment. It blossomed into one of the most successful and widely emulated urban pedestrian malls in the country.

The Church Street Marketplace has been called “the gem in the crown” of Burlington. Opened in 1981, and framed by two historic districts listed in the National Register, this four-block jewel in the heart of the city will soon celebrate its Emerald Anniversary, marking 20 years as a nationwide role model for downtown development.

While its roots stretch back to urban renewal discussions of the 1950s and 1960s, the present-day Marketplace began to crystallize in the city’s imagination on a sunny July day in 1970. More than 15,000 people took part in a one-day street fair sponsored by the Burlington Downtown Merchant’s Association, an event designed to demonstrate the feasibility of a mid-city pedestrian mall – a concept which went on to gain favor among business and community leaders in Burlington.

Heartened by the experiment’s success and the excitement it generated within the community, merchants reconvened the next year to stage a more expansive, week-long midsummer fair. Traffic was rerouted from the four blocks of Church Street to parallel streets, and additional public transit to the downtown core was provided. Short-term physical enhancements were added to the street, including trees, benches, and vendor booths. Throughout the week, merchants were allowed full use of the area for outdoor retail displays and many special events were planned.

The result: an estimated 50,000 people visited the reinvigorated Church Street that week. The impressive turnout was a catalyst that sparked more extensive, community-wide deliberations aimed at establishing a permanent Church Street Marketplace. It would take another decade of dialogue and collaboration among the business community, city government, local residents, and state and federal leaders to bring to life the vibrant vision nurtured during those balmy summer days of 1971 and 1972.

Today, nearly 20 years after its completion in September 1981, that vision is an exciting reality, and has become a touchstone for downtown redevelopment nationwide. The Marketplace draws 3 million visitors to downtown Burlington each year, fueling the city’s economic engine and effectively meeting the challenge of suburban “sprawl” – a phenomenon that here, as elsewhere, threatens to damage, perhaps irreparably, both our precious natural environment and the vitality and livability of our downtown centers.

The Church Street Marketplace is more than just the brilliant gem in the crown of the Queen City. It is the red carpet Burlington spreads before its visitors. For those who live in the area, it is a bustling urban gathering place, where we greet, entertain, and meet the needs of friends, neighbors, and tourists alike. Like any fine jewel or elegant entryway, it needs to be nurtured and polished to ensure its sparkle for many years to come.

BURLINGTON'S 'FRONT PORCH'
By Senator Patrick Leahy

As a long-time Burlington resident, I am proud to see what a tremendous success the Church Street Marketplace has been over the past 20 years. There is an historic relationship between the City of Burlington and Church Street. The revitalized business district of the Church Street Marketplace is a gateway to Vermont that draws millions of people every year to the Champlain Valley for social and cultural events. Everyone knows that there is always something going on along Church Street, and the wide array of activities held here year-round helps guarantee that.

To me, Church Street also is Burlington’s front porch. Whenever I leave my office and walk up Church Street to get the paper in the morning, it usually takes me at least an hour and a half to get back. I have learned more from just talking to people on the street than from any poll or survey. In fact, when I was State’s Attorney in Chittenden County before I was elected to the Senate, I probably ran into more lawyers and discussed more cases on Church Street than in any courthouse.

Church Street is full of memories for me and my family. Marcelle and I bought our wedding rings and our 25th anniversary bands at Preston’s Jewelers. All three of our children were fitted for shoes by John Adams at Abernethy's Department Store. John went on to open Adams Boots and Shoes on the upper block for his many customers after Abernethy's closed. My kids are all grown up now, but that store is still there. I purchased my son Kevin’s first comic book at Collette’s – a childhood treasure he still has. And whenever Marcelle and I are in town we call Kevin, now a lawyer in Burlington, to meet us for lunch at Halvorson’s.

I also have fond memories of Lois Bodoky, better known to all of us as the Hot Dog Lady, whose cart has been a fixture on Church Street for more than 25 years. Lois went into the hot dog business not long after her hair salon was lost in a fire, and at the same time I was running my first campaign for the Senate. Back then, Church Street was a typical Vermont downtown, and Lois operated her cart on the sidewalk as cars and buses passed by on the street. Now, her cart is in a prime spot on Church Street, even during some of Vermont’s coldest winter months.

When I was elected to the Senate in 1974, federal officials then had their offices in the federal building downtown. My first Senate office, though, was in the old Firehouse next to City Hall. Our presence there, as the main tenant in the building during my first two terms, was instrumental in saving it from demolition. I am proud to be part of the current restoration effort of the Firehouse Gallery.

In 1979, I worked with President Jimmy Carter and then-Mayor Gordon Paquette on a $5.4 million federal grant from the Urban Mass Transit Administration for improvements to Church Street and creation of a downtown bus loop. Through the hard work of my staff – most notably Paul Bruhn and Margaret Gross – the project was an early example of a coordinated multi-agency effort involving HUD, EPA, FWHA, USDA, and UMTA. All of these agencies collaborated successfully on the project without the intervention of Congress. Such a feat is still not easy to accomplish today.

Burlington worked hard that year to pass the $1.6 million Burlington bond necessary to secure the federal funds for the project. From the first bricklaying in 1980, to the grand opening in 1981, to the twentieth anniversary this year, I have been proud to support Church Street for the past two decades. Mayor Paquette, Mayor Bernie Sanders, Mayor Peter Brownell, and now Mayor Peter Clavelle have all put in enormous amounts of time and energy to make Church Street what it is today. Shifting from car to pedestrian traffic and from empty storefronts to lively festivals, the Marketplace has changed dramatically and has brought life and vibrance back to downtown Burlington. The Marketplace remains a dynamic symbol of community partnerships and redevelopment efforts that work in Vermont.

After 20 years, however, the Marketplace is beginning to show its age. The water and electrical systems need upgrades. The bricks and pavement need reconditioning. And public restrooms are in short supply. That is why I have worked hard to bring additional federal dollars to Church Street for these needed upgrades. Earlier this year, the Senate passed a Transportation Appropriations Bill that included $1.5 million for the Marketplace. Along with $375,000 from last year, this will go a long way toward ensuring that the long-term infrastructure needs of the Church Street Marketplace are met so future generations will be able to enjoy this special place.

Hearty and heartfelt thanks to Tim Halvorson, Ron Redmond and everyone from the
Church Street Marketplace Commission for your tireless efforts to keep this place going strong over the past two decades. Best of luck for the next 20 years. And I’ll see you on Church Street.

ON THE 20^th ANNIVERSAY OF THE CHURCH STREET MARKETPLACE
By Peter Clavelle, Mayor of Burlington, Vermont

Church Street has always been an important part of my life. For me as a kid growing up in Winooski, a trip to Church Street – on the Burlington Rapid Transit (BRT) bus for a quarter – was a big deal. A typical shopping spree would include visits to the large department stores – Abernathy’s, Magrams and J.C. Penney. Men or boys clothes would be bought at Nate’s or Shepard & Hamell’s. Woods was the place for sporting equipment. And lunch might be a Valade’s at the bus terminal or at the A&W Root Beer where Leunig’s is now located. A little later in life, endless summer months would be spent cruising Church Street in my friend’s 1956 Pontiac convertible.

Church Street has certainly changed in my 50-plus years. But, thanks to the efforts of many in this community, Church Street’s vitality has been preserved and steadily enhanced.

We’re all aware of downtowns that have limped along or gone bust in the face of competition from suburban shopping centers, and big box retailers. In city after city, the traditional American downtown sits idle and empty. Yet Burlington’s downtown – with the Church Street Marketplace as its centerpiece – remains alive and well, the commercial, cultural and social center for an entire region. The Marketplace brings people downtown to stroll, shop, or engage friends in conversation. Its coffee houses, pubs, and eateries buzz with activity. It is a place of commerce, conviviality, and chance encounters. It is both a shopping center and a living center. There’s definitely “a there” there. It is important to remember that Church Street Marketplace did now just happen. It came about because of a collaborative effort involving businesses, citizens, and government.

A few of my predecessors in the Mayor’s Office deserve credit for their vision and persistence. Mayor Frank Cain in the late 1960s and early 1970s laid the foundation for a major investment in downtown, and unleashed the exploration of the feasibility of an open-air pedestrian mall. Mayor Gordon Paquette persistently worked to attract federal dollars to the downtown effort, while opposing the Pyramid Company project proposed for Williston. Bernie Sanders assumed office in 1981, the year the Church Street Marketplace was completed. He understood that a vital downtown was about more than bricks and mortar − it was about cultural and recreational opportunities. The introduction of a variety of events, including First Night, the Jazz Festival, the Marathon, and Kids Day are part of the legacy of Bernie’s administration.

The Marketplace would simply be an enticing vision if it were not for the support and funding of our federal government. Leading the effort from day one was Senator Patrick Leahy. He and his staff deserve much credit for the successful realization of the Church Street Marketplace, as well as for their ongoing and essential support today.

We should also remember that the Marketplace’s vitality results from constant nurturing and attention. Other cities have tried pedestrian malls, but many have failed because they didn’t have the necessary staff, funding, or programs. Credit and thanks go to the successive Directors of the Church Street Marketplace – Penrose Jackson, Molly Lambert and Ron Redmond – and to all the dedicated employees and Commission members, who have ensured that the Church Street Marketplace receives the daily maintenance, marketing, promotion, and programming it requires for continued success.

When the Church Street Marketplace is at its best, when it comes alive with holiday cheer or swings with summer jazz, we have nothing to fear from suburban competition. Our task is to ensure that we live up to this potential on a day-to-day basis. As we celebrate 20 years of success, let’s re-dedicate ourselves to ensuring that the unique amenities of the Church Street Marketplace remain accessible, safe and inviting for another 20 years.

Tim Halvorson, Chair, Church Street Marketplace District Commission

Although I was raised in Pasadena, California, my roots have always been in Vermont. My mom was born in Burlington but my grandfather had moved west during the depression to start a dry cleaning business in California. He had owned Huntley’s Laundry at St. Paul and College. That building was torn down to build a gas station, which eventually became the first Ben & Jerry's. When I see the brass emblem on the sidewalk at College & St. Paul acknowledging the first location for Ben & Jerry’s, I always think of my grandfather.

In 1979, Dad sold his dry cleaning business in Pasadena and moved the family back east to Vermont. Our first business was on Church Street (where Halvorson’s is today) called Elizabeth Candies. I worked in candy store then worked at Shepherd & Hammel that first summer 1979 and eventually went to Johnson State.

In 1981, there was a fire that swept through the upper floors of our building and at the then Abernathy’s Department Store (2 Church Street, now called Richardson Place). We were definitely out of business from December of 1981 through November 1982, but we wanted to maintain that address and location. The business was reborn as Halvorson’s in 1982 after the fire
When I graduated from Johnson State in 1983, I started working with my Dad and ultimately became partners, then bought his interest in the business 13 years ago. We reopened it as an eat in situation with tables.

By the time I arrived on Church Street, all of the planning and construction decisions had been made but I was fortunate to see Street before and after the improvements. I remember vividly Friday nights, when shoppers drove in to town and parked their cars on Church Street. Men would play cards by the parking meters while their wives shopped. During construction, I distinctly remember showing up one morning to find a 12-foot deep moat in front of my business where they laying concrete conduit. We had to cross foot bridges to get into our businesses. It was during that time that I met Jeff Davis (J.L. Davis Realty and owner of 2 Church Street). My Dad and I had been asked to be at our business between 2 and 3 a.m. for a utility hook up and we met Jeff. It was the beginning of a great friendship ever since.

One of the more interesting event evolutions in our downtown was the Discover Jazz Festival. The idea had bubbled out of the Mayor's Arts Council and in 1983, I was drafted to help out during the festival’s early formation. Our restaurant held live jazz performances and they knew I was fan. We were excited about the chance to introduce jazz to the general public and that’s a mission I hope the festival always holds on to. In the early years, we would block off the entire upper block and call it the "Bourbon Street Dance Hall." That was back during the days when when all stores on my block closed at 5 p.m. and Halvorson’s was the only licensee.

Opportunities to serve the Marketplace just seemed to fall into my lap. In the early ‘90s, Wendy Chagnon from the Marketplace staff called to ask if I’d be on the License Committee, which was then chaired by Bev Wool. In 1994, there was an opening on the Marketplace Commission and I was encouraged to apply. At my second meeting chaired by Bob Kaphan, I was elected chairman.

What I love most about the Marketplace is that it reflects the unpredictablity of life itself. I remember spending an enormous amount of energy planning a winter festival, and having piles of show brought in on a Friday night so that special snow carvers could create snow sculptures Saturday morning. And then, the next day brought 70 degree weather!

It’s been a real privilege to be involved in the development of the Marketplace. When I think of great people on my block like Hecky Pasacow (Mayfair) and Dave Pearl and Sandy Preston (F.J. Preston Jewelers) and the Abernathy's people -- if you'd told me I'd be the one that would outlast all of them, I would have laughed at you.

Bill Truex, Principal, Truex Cullins & Partners

Perhaps the first seed was sown for the development of the Church Street Marketplace when my wife and I made a return visit to Copenhagen. We first visited the city while on a leave of absence from Harvard. Not far from the well-known “little mermaid on the rock” was a very congested shopping area, simply a traffic-snarled nightmare. As we were returning home four months later, we stopped in Copenhagen again and found something quite special … the cars had been removed; people were now able to access the street without the hassle of traffic. The change was dramatic! The wonderful image of the joyful crowds made a strong impression.

In 1966, I joined Linde Hubbard, an architectural firm participating on a development team for Burlington’s urban renewal project. At that time, I became active in the Vermont chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) where I formed an urban design committee and received permission to design a connector between the urban renewal project and Church Street. In December of 1968, I started a practice with Gene Alexander and applied for membership to the planning commission, whose responsibilities included planning projects and creating zoning ordinances, and urban renewal. In 1970, I was fortunate to become chairman of the Planning Commission and the Urban Renewal Agency.

At this time, I approached Pat Robins, who was heading up the Street Commission, and requested permission to close Church Street to traffic on the day of the Merchants Bureau’s annual sidewalk sale. I saw this as an opportunity to really demonstrate the idea of a pedestrian area. Four generous area nurseries agreed to landscape the four blocks, benches were brought in, Pat Robins and I brought sculptures from Middlebury, and culverts were placed for children to climb in. It was an enormous success, but more importantly, the idea of a pedestrian mall had a prototype.

The following year D’Ann Fago, responsible for Vermont Arts and Crafts, approached me about holding a crafts festival, perhaps in Battery Park. Once again, we saw Church Street as the perfect setting for the festival, and Pat and I convinced the merchants to close it up for a week. Sansea Sparling, our Church Street festival administrator, was hired to run the event. Money was raised to set up canopies for the craftspeople, and for craft demonstrations by several artisans, including a glass blower, a metal worker and several potters. “Two Guys” restaurant and bar owner, Dick Allegrezza, convinced the health department to let them serve food outside, with an area roped off by hay bales. Again, people loved it!

The lower level of the Burlington Mall was being built at this time (the second level would follow in the mid to late 70s) and I was among those working on a design for a pedestrian mall. They raised money to travel to various cities … Ottawa, Fresno, Rhode Island, Quincy Market … to study other such projects, but the real awakening came to them in Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It was the management of the mall that was so appealing. The key: someone who was responsible for the care of feeding of the place. At that time Burlington had a commission form of government, so it was natural to create one for the marketplace. The city would handle the operations of the street, the cleaning, landscaping, and the programming of special events. All involved knew that the success of the project required more than just taking cars off a street. There needed to be responsibility.

Parking was the next piece of the puzzle, as the merchants were naturally reluctant to give up the parking spaces in front of their stores. The idea of a nearby parking garage appealed to them, but it had to be connected to Church Street. Things fell into place as federal grant money became available and Centers Furniture Store went out of business. As the architect for the garage, my challenge was the design configuration for this odd space and a variety of seemingly impossible deadlines and difficulties with the builder.

The Church Street Marketplace, with two blocks of pedestrian walkway, and four blocks of design and landscaping, opened on September 15, 1981. In 1989, the mall was expanded to four blocks, the design was freshened up and a fountain was added. It had been nearly 20 years since that stroll in Copenhagen, yet a dream was realized and the marketplace now serves as a model for other cities. Thriving, unique, beautiful and fun, Burlington has a downtown that works. I’m just one of many who look back with great pride!

Pat Robins, President, Symquest

Reflecting on our 20th anniversary, I think it’s quite remarkable that visionary ideas, great timing, and a lot of good fortune converged to create the Marketplace. But it was the committed, hard-working people I remember most.

Penrose Jackson, our first Executive Director, brought tremendous intelligence and drive to the project and helped make the Marketplace what it is today. She was involved in the planning, managed the construction of the Marketplace, and led the design of our “safe, clean and fun” model for running the Marketplace today. Randy Kamerbeek, then Planning Director, and Mayor Gordon Paquette supported us in creating the position and in hiring Penrose. Paul Bruhn, who was then a staff member for Senator Leahy, helped engineer meetings with various government agencies in Washington, D.C. Mayor Paquette, Ralph Cramer, general manager of CCTA, Sandy Preston, Penrose Jackson, Randy Kamerbeek and I made that journey to Washington. Our decision to locate the county’s central bus terminal adjacent to the Marketplace ultimately helped us to secure the UMTA (Urban Mass Transportation Administration) grant that funded the project.

The most important part of our success has been the creation of the Marketplace Commission and staff. For the past twenty years, the important distinction has been the Street’s ability – through the Commission – to raise its own funds and manage its own affairs. We’re successful because we have a full-time staff and we can get the job done. We don’t have to turn to other City departments for help – especially when those City departments may not have the ownership and commitment that our own staff has. Other cities across the country that have created pedestrian malls, and staffed them with merchant volunteers and contracted services, have seen their pedestrian malls decline and fail. Our management model for the Marketplace came out of a cross-country tour of other downtowns across the country – to learn from their successes and mistakes. When a group of us, including Bill Truex and Carol Johnson, our landscape architect, paid a visit to Disneyland’s Main Street, we noticed how well-maintained the street was, and how successfully amenities were used. We watched how people were greeted and made to feel welcome. I remember we took pages and pages of notes because we knew this was a model that worked and that we wanted to incorporate it into our own plans.

I travel throughout the country these days and I make a point of going out of my way to see other downtowns. One litmus test I use is the number of antique stores a downtown has. To me, it’s a sure sign of “$3-per-square-foot” rents and diminished economic vitality. Today, the Marketplace is not successful because of the canopies, the bike racks and the bricks. It's successful today because of the people behind the scenes.

It’s been an honor and privilege to be a part of Marketplace all of these years. Happy 20th Church Street Marketplace!

Penrose Jackson, Executive Director, Vermont Health Foundation
(Penrose Jackson served as the Marketplace’s first executive director, from 1980 to 1990)

In late August 1981 we were scrambling to complete construction in time for an early October opening celebration. Would the glass for the canopies arrive in time? Would we be prepared with entertainment and in-store fun for the thousands of people we hoped would come to help us celebrate? Would those people, in fact, come?

How did we arrive at those anxiety-filled days of late summer, 1981?

January, 1980 – the Board of Aldermen appointed the first Church Street Marketplace District Commission. After extensive interviews, they invited Paul Wickes on as chair to bring his governmental, planning and legal expertise. Ralph Cramer, general manager of the Chittenden County Transportation Authority, was asked to join to secure our link to the federal funding agency, erstwhile UMTA (Urban Mass Transportation Administration). Dick Corley brought his entrepreneurial spirit and connections to Burlington’s banking community. Parnell Kirby, manager of the J.C. Penney store then on Church Street, and Hertzel (Hecky) Pasackow from another Church Street landmark ladies’ store, The Mayfair, brought their wisdom as retailers and soothed fears of the many storeowners who dreaded two years of construction.

Faced with the daunting task of designing and building the Marketplace (and replacing all the subsurface utilities, a $1.9 million feat in and of itself), the Commission met for the first time on January 7. Their first task was to hire a head staff person. I had worked on the planning phase of the Marketplace for nearly two years and was the person most conversant with Church Street, UMTA, City Hall and the planning process to date. I was only 32 years old. I had no construction experience save helping my husband line a cedar closet. I was unknown to most of the new commissioners. They swallowed hard and hired me . . . and I began what will always be the most exciting, challenging, exasperating, frustrating and educational job of my life.

In due time C.E. Maguire and Carr, Lynch Associates were hired as the engineering/architectural team and Pizzagalli Construction Company came on board as construction manager. Unlike today’s typical construction manager, Pizzagalli did none of the construction themselves; they were, essentially, the clerk of the works.

Then, in March of 1980, the Commission swallowed hard another time – could they begin construction that year? Inflation was high and loss of a year could mean a significant loss of spending power. Our kitty had $1 million from the City and $5.3 million from the federal government. Could it be done? At a pivotal meeting the Commission, its staff (me) and folks from Maguire and Pizzagalli agreed that we wouldn’t cry uncle until we had to. That day began a marathon experience of seven day weeks full of long days for commissioners, staff and contractors through utility design, permitting, bidding and more. On July 7, six months from the date of the first Commission meeting, we began construction.

Rather than have a typical ground breaking, we assembled an impressive cast of folks to tie a large ribbon across Church Street at Main to officially close the street to begin construction. A few moments later one of the first scoops from a backhoe severed a telephone trunk line: an inauspicious start for a project that ran amazingly well.

Specific memories of design and construction have collapsed into a pastiche of images: trips to Connecticut and Boston to meet with designers and engineers, negotiations with building owners regarding vaults that extended under the former sidewalk, selection of public art pieces (the most controversial being female “shapes” that morphed into the deer and bear that sit in front of City Hall today), weekly project meetings in the Pizzagalli trailer that sat on a lot on Bank Street (most recently occupied by the Porteous store), “decorating” the Street during the 1980 holiday season with pine trees “planted” in sewer tiles, the skill of the backhoe operators, temporary bridging to allow stores to remain open, the hair stylist twice struck with a water interruption as she began to wash permanent solution from – yes – the same client’s tresses, “Perseverance” awards to store and building owners who had endured stressful construction challenges, moving the street vendors from place to place, the musical clink of the bricks as they were installed during the summer of 1981, a Saturday entertainment series on “the longest stage in the East,” and so much more.

As construction progressed, the Commission and I needed to plan how to manage the Marketplace once it was “up and running.” Before my time, early project planners had envisioned the Marketplace as a managed environment in terms of maintenance, appearance and activities. That meant we needed to figure out how to keep our beautiful new environment clean and, in the winter, ice free. We would have trees to prune and plants to water. There would be public art – banners and bronze, steel and neon sculptures, the largest xerox copy in the world (on a blank wall on the Cherry Street side of what today is Borders) – to take care of.

Not only did we have to concern ourselves with our own activities, but we also had to develop special Marketplace sign ordinances to allow on-canopy signs, sandwich board signs and banners. We found ourselves embroiled in issues around licensing street entertainers. We worked with street vendors who had already been on Church Street (Lois Bodoky and Dick Rogow are still a part of that scene today!) to develop standards for new vendor carts, along with licensing processes and fees. Proudly, that effort resulted in a complement of street vendors that was, and is, first class; our efforts were applauded with an award from the International Downtown Association.

Even as the backhoes chugged and miles of telephone and electric lines were being laid, we began discussions around sidewalk cafés. From the first, cafés were envisioned as an integral part of the summer scene on the Marketplace. How would they be regulated? What design standards, if any, would control their appearance? What fees would the City collect?

Amidst digging, designing, brick-laying and planning for the future, we also had a party to plan, the grand opening of the Marketplace. The Commission, its staff (which now also included Joyce Wasson as publicity and promotion chief and Kerry Duame as our do-everything helpmate) and other volunteers were aided by the expert hand of Dee Pomerleau. We planned a party with a parade, balloons (including a balloon launch of thousands of colored orbs from the lower doors on City Hall), clowns and great food and entertainment on all four blocks and in store promotions. We sent out invitations and advertised in the media.

Would people come?

YES! Thousands came to enjoy the nearly complete Marketplace, including a sole protester whose placard read, “Six million dollars for this?” Interestingly, the very first injury occurred during the celebration when a reporter twisted her ankle (not a single construction worker or pedestrian injury had occurred during construction).

The next Monday, it was back to work to complete punch lists, pay the final bills, pack up the construction trailer, and, for many of the workers, to head for the woods in early November for hunting season. For those left behind, the commission, staff, merchants and building owners would continue to work on promotions, debate fees, manage the day-to-day needs of our very special four blocks . . . work that will never end.

I had a very special privilege for 13 years – to be part of the final planning and then manage the construction of the Marketplace, and then to follow those efforts with helping design the programs that keep it alive. Molly Lambert followed me for 7 years – only two managers in 20 years. I hope we’ve left a mark that people value. I applaud the continuity the Commission has brought and wish current and future Commissions, and Ron Redmond, all the best on our Marketplace’s twentieth anniversary.

Jay Pasackow, Real Estate Broker

Church Street seems to have always been part of my life. I was born and raised in Burlington, and my family owned a Church Street business from 1926-1995. It was always there.

My first remembrance of Church Street has nothing to do with the store, however. I remember the early 1960s, when it was a 2-way street with parking on both sides. The place to be on Friday or Saturday night was downtown, “cruising” Church Street, up and down and up and down. Oh, those were the days!

Later, I got serious and entered the family business, The Mayfair. The Mayfair actually had four different locations on Church Street throughout its existence, #104, #108, #85, and #25. During the 1960s and early 1970s, downtown Burlington was the major shopping center for northern Vermont and beyond. Most stores were locally-owned and operated, and you could find virtually all you wanted from clothing, to hardware, to sporting goods and food. Times were changing, however. New highways, development, and potential new shopping centers began to enter the picture. Thanks to the foresight of a small group of people, it became evident that downtown Burlington needed to move forward and change if it were to survive, rather than react at a later date, when it would be too late. This group, with the backing of many of the downtown merchants and the city government, came up with the idea of the Church Street Marketplace.

My father was on the first Church Street Marketplace Commission, charged with bringing the idea to reality. I still remember the debates about placing the large boulders on the street, as a reminder of the rural land that once flourished there. Other cities around the country looked to Burlington to see what was possible in an existing downtown. Local merchants and landowners began to take pride in the Marketplace and showed their commitment with new investments in their properties. Local residents took new pride in their downtown, and always brought out of town visitors down to see it. The Marketplace gave renewed strength to downtown and created a new meeting place.

Old friends and customers lament to me that “Downtown isn’t what it use to be.” No, it is not. There are more restaurants, more bars, and nationally owned stores. Even the kids are different. But come downtown on a Friday or Saturday evening, especially during the summer or fall, and you’ll experience a vibrant, living city.

Cruising, of course, is a bit more difficult.

Molly Lambert, Secretary Of Commerce & Community Development, State Of Vermont(Molly Lambert served as Executive Director of the Church Street Marketplace from 1990 to 1998)

Almost every Saturday, I give my neighbor – an older woman, a good friend – a call. I tell her that I am headed off to downtown and ask if there is anything she needs. And so I begin my weekly reconnection with the wonderful place where I live. A place that certainly has everything I need.

I love my walks up Church Street. I say hi to people I’ve known for years and some that just catch my eye for the first time. I usually stop by one of my favorite eateries for a snack, do a little banking, maybe purchase some flowers to brighten a gray day, find the book that I’ve been dying to read and get a gift for the next wedding. Finally I head home energized by the vitality of a four-block public space unlike any other.

For 139,000 people in Chittenden County – 25 percent of Vermont’s population – there is only one downtown. There is only one place with the architectural, civic and historic significance of Church Street. There is only one place where people gather for commercial and social purposes, unencumbered by walls, physical appearance or economic status, seven days a week. That place is the Church Street Marketplace.

I brought my passion for downtowns with me when I became Secretary of Commerce and Community Development. And it’s a good thing because the economics of downtowns are very important to this state. Fifteen to 20 percent of all the state’s sales, rooms and meals, income and property taxes are generated in our downtowns. Similar percentages of people live and work in our downtowns. These statistics are true for downtown Burlington as well.

Those of you who have invested time, energy and money in the vitality of the Church Street Marketplace during the last two decades know that while those statistics are important, the real importance of this success is about the people who enjoy this public space. It’s about Jason and Bryan who pass through after school most days to see “what’s up.” It’s about Frank and Ellen who live in Cathedral Square and walk to downtown every morning to have a cup of coffee and chat with friends at the local diner. It’s about Karen and Phil who stroll the street each weekend with their five-month old in a backpack simply to feel connected to the friends and neighbors who live in their part of Vermont. It’s about Lee, Henry and Bob who regularly greet visitors to the Marketplace as if they own it. Together these people and this street symbolize the spirit of Burlington.

So what does the future hold for one of America’s greatest Main Streets? Well the best Main Streets will blend new retail, entertainment and employment opportunities with a place where people want to live, meet and play surrounded by exquisite reminders of the generations that were there before them. The Church Street Marketplace is that Main Street. Whether it’s for retail, recreation, entertainment, living or working – it is the hip destination. Constant attention to its appearance, its promotion and its connection to the members of the community will ensure a successful evolution for many more decades to come.

What a remarkable gift the Church Street Marketplace has been and will be to the civic health and economic vitality of Burlington, Chittenden County and the State of Vermont! Thank you to all who have had any part in this striking success. Here’s to twenty more years of success!

Melinda Moulton, Redeveloper, Main Street Landing Company
Chair, Burlington Business Association

Twenty years ago, Lisa Steele and I began envisioning a new Burlington Waterfront. In 1982 the Waterfront was an old rail yard surrounded by barbed wire, a grain company, a junk yard, and assorted rough and tumble relics of our industrial age. As we moved forward in the revitalization effort, we became aware of a similar project just a few blocks away.

Up on Church Street, a handful of community leaders were masterminding a metamorphosis: the creation of a pedestrian-friendly environment which would turn a city street into a brick walkway. Managed by a commission that would handle the maintenance, operation, and marketing for the merchants, this concept was not new in Europe, but was certainly new to New England.

Our focus along the water’s edge seemed miles away from the hustle and bustle surrounding the rebirth of Church Street. There wasn’t a link between the two, invisible or real. When our redevelopment plans were presented to Church Street merchants, there was an air of suspicion, and a deep concern from some that whatever happened down by the water would have a negative effect on the success of Church Street.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, we have witnessed enormous changes on the Waterfront. There is now a waterfront park, a science center, a community boathouse, a 7.5-mile bike path, a skate park, housing at the foot of Lake Street, new office and retail complexes anchoring Battery Street and its side streets, a renovated railroad station and passenger rail service, a community sailing center, and tourist boats dotting the Lake’s surface during the summer months.

Simultaneously, Church Street has blossomed into one of the country’s most celebrated downtown centers. The Burlington Square Mall, following the construction of Filene’s, is getting a facelift; exciting new nationals have arrived, old established businesses are thriving, and many new local storefronts line the street. Throngs of people – Burlington residents in the majority – arrive every day on our four-block pedestrian walkway to work, play, eat, shop, and generally enjoy their thriving city’s center.

Something else has happened the past twenty years. The distance between Church Street and the Waterfront has become smaller. Downtown expanded to include the Waterfront, and it takes less time to move from one to the other. A College Street Shuttle carries people back and forth. And for walkers, the trip is much friendlier. Abandoned storefronts on Main Street have become vibrant new establishments. College Street now boasts an 85-unit apartment house, deli and fish market, and a crosswalk with pedestrian signals. And now, the Burlington Business Association and Preservation Burlington are planning a historic walking tour that will make a narrative connection between the Marketplace to the rest of the City.

The links are established and the old fears of “us versus them” have all but disappeared. The economic vitality of Burlington depends on the power of the whole. Burlington is a remarkable part of our world, and the Waterfront and the Church Street Marketplace are remarkable parts of what makes Burlington a special place.

Ed Moore, Executive Director, Burlington Business Association

In the summer of 1968 in a 1962 Chevy II, my wife and I, our two young boys, and my mother-in-law made the ten hour trip from New Jersey to Essex Junction to visit family. It was our first foray into Vermont. For most of the time while we were “on vacation,” one thought remained constant in my mind: “Never again!” For someone born and raised in the city, and who still worked in a major metropolitan area, Vermont seemed like the kind of place where it took an hour and a half to watch “60 Minutes.”

We did all the obligatory tourist activities: riding the alpine slide at Smugglers Notch and a ferry trip across Lake Champlain to North Pole, New York. Eventually, there was some talk about heading “downtown,” but the very thought seemed to strike fear in the heart of our hostess. The wishes of her guests prevailed, however, and we had our very first exposure to downtown Burlington, Vermont. My reaction: What’s the big deal?

In the ensuing years, even though I had vowed “never again,” we did visit Vermont occasionally, but Burlington was rarely on the itinerary. Then, almost twenty years after our first visit, we ventured on our own back to “the big city.” First, we parked in the Burlington Square Mall parking garage and strolled the mall. Except for a few locally owned businesses, it might as well have been “Anyplace, USA.” And then we came to an exit sign that read “Church Street.”

Lewis Carroll did not propel Alice into Wonderland as magically as we were transformed into another world. What was this place? Where were we? On a four-block red-bricked pedestrian mall that looked European: diversity in retail stores, restaurants, architecture, street entertainers and most importantly, people. Suddenly, Vermont seemed like the only place to be.

In 1988, fate stepped in. My employer was deploying staff from the headquarters in New Jersey to locations around the country. Being part of the task force managing the project, I knew of a need for personnel in Burlington. After consultation with the family, the decision was made to move to Burlington. Several years later, I accepted the position of Executive Director with the Downtown Burlington Development Association.

For more than eight years, I have been working toward promoting the economic vitality of downtown Burlington, the charter of the Burlington Business Association (the name was changed in 1998). To successfully accomplish our objective, we collaborate on a regular basis with the team that manages the Church Street Marketplace. In view of the competition from suburban malls, we must project an image of safety, cleanliness, and fun. We must promote what we have that the competition doesn’t: vibrant arts, a dynamic waterfront, diverse and high-quality restaurants, and the character, charm and rich history that makes Burlington and the Church Street Marketplace the special places they are today.

Burlington has been named America’s most livable city, a top-ten place to raise a family, a top-five most enlightened city, and a Great American Main Street. This last award, given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recognizes communities for exceptional accomplishments in revitalizing their downtowns. In doing so, Burlington effectively demonstrated active public and private participation, broad-based community support, success in boosting the downtown economy, and adaptive use and preservation of key historic buildings.

Community leaders recognized the potential for a pedestrian mall as a means to revitalizing the downtown. They were visionaries. Twenty years later their vision continues to propel this city forward. The Marketplace thrives with more than three million visitors a year. To those of us who live here, it is an everyday place to assemble, work, shop, and live. We’ve all developed a love affair with Burlington… even those of who once swore “Never again!”

Joseph E. Frank, retired attorney and Marketplace property owner

Society always has its skeptics when it comes to local projects funded in whole or in part by federal grants. I plead guilty to having been one of them.

My excuse is that my college education in economics inculcated in me an intense dislike of the so-called pork-barrel approach to the availability of federal money for local projects. Every member of Congress is jockeying for federal financing of their pet projects, many of which have
little or no national significance, and some of which have little merit even in local terms. One over-used rationale is the necessity of federal financing for “demonstration” projects.

So when the Church Street Marketplace was dreamed up, I had misgivings, despite being brought up as a third-generation Burlingtonian and coming from a family with an interest in Church Street since the early twentieth century. My paternal grandfather’s Red 46 Department Store was
located on the east side of Church Street on the second block below Pearl Street. And for eleven years, my law office was located in the former Masonic Temple at One Church Street. Nevertheless, the “Marketplace” seemed like an excuse to waste federal funds.

With the benefit of hindsight I see, however, that the Church Street Marketplace has been a great success. It has been much more than a ploy to have Uncle Sam pay for infrastructure improvements on and under the Street. It has created an attractive commercial environment which draws residents of greater Burlington and visitors to the area to come downtown.
It is greater Burlington’s hub for governmental services, quality retailing, fine dining, banking, and other kinds of commerce. While the downtowns of many cities have become ghost towns, downtown Burlington continues to thrive.

Remembering with the Pomerleau Family: Five Decades of Support

For more than five decades, the Pomerleau Family has been actively contributing to Burlington’s downtown and the Church Street Marketplace as business owners, property owners, philanthropists and civic leaders. They have acquired a reputation in our community for hard work, integrity and community service.

Antonio Pomerleau is chief executive officer of Pomerleau Real Estate.

In 1996, he received the Thomas Chittenden Award for Exemplary Community Service from the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. He has served on the boards of the Downtown Burlington Development Association, Burlington Transportation and Parking Council, Cancer Wellness, Mater Christi School and the Great Burlington Industrial Corporation. Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, his family moved to a farm in Barton Vermont, before moving to Newport where his father ran a general store. After high school, Pomerleau moved back to Sherbrooke to attend St. Charles Seminary. He left the seminary in 1937 to work for Endicott Johnson Company, a national shoe chain working along the East Coast. In 1942, he was sent to Burlington, fell in love with the city and decided to settle his family here. He purchased a failing grocery store at North Winooski Avenue and North Street. Three years later, he had four stores and a wholesale beverage business. In 1951, he sold his businesses to go into commercial real estate, and insurance.

Ernie Pomerleau is president of Pomerleau Real Estate.

He is Chair of the Board of Directors for the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC), and serves on the boards of directors for Chittenden Bank and the Visiting Nurses Association. Polmerleau has been active on othe rboards in the community, including Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Business Development Association, United Way Campaign, the Flynn Theatre for Performing Arts and many others. He was chair of the Downtown Business Development Association for a decade and first chairman of the Burlington Transportation and Parking Council. Ernie was the first son of 10 children. He is a graduate of St. Michael’s College

Recently, we asked Antonio and Ernie Pomerleau to share their remembrances and thoughts about the Marketplace.

QUESTION: What were your first involvements on Church Street?

ANTONIO: In the mid 1950s, all of the neon signs along Church Street were broken. We decided to volunteer to take down and throw away every one of those signs. Those signs looked just awful. We wound up spending thousands of dollars to do it, but it was well worth the effort. I always felt it was small steps like that, that began the renewal on Church Street.

QUESTION: What was going on in downtown in the 50’s and 60’s?

Back in 1961-62, my biggest success was building the Woolworth’s building (currently housing Old Navy) because everything seemed to be moving out of downtown. Montgomery Wards had left. All across the country downtowns were going down and not recovering. For most small towns like Burlington, suburban shopping centers were taking over and businesses were running away from downtown. We were starting to see that happen in Burlington. I remember a point in time when there were 14 vacant buildings downtown. We started to buy buildings, remodel them Burlington is one of the few downtowns that’s been successful. A lot of towns have tried, but they’ve done things on a piecemeal basis.

What did it take to rally the community to make shift in its thinking?

ANTONIO: Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. To bring IBM to this community back in the 1950s, the community rallied to make that happen. Eighteen business people stepped up, signed a note and bought a piece of land in Essex Junction and built a 30,000 square foot building. The Chairman of IBM made a decision to build a plant Burlington over Portland, Maine because we had a good airport and we were the only community in the country that had come together as a group to purchase a piece of land. Can you imagine Burlington today without IBM? We’d have an economy similar to that of the Northeast Kingdom. Why did the Marketplace succeed? I think one reason why the Marketplace is here today is that at the time of its creation, people were willing to stick their necks out and take risks. There were enough people who could see that the growth of suburban malls meant downtown needed to take some risks and try a concept like the Marketplace. I’d ask the same question then about our downtown. Can you imagine Burlington today without the Marketplace? I can’t. It would be a much different, less richer place.

ERNIE: I remember all of the long hours and meetings required to make it all come together. All of us attended and chaired countless meetings on Marketplace design, traffic, Marketplace fees. And there were always feisty dialogues. But ultimately, what was the very best for Burlington always seemed to prevail. I learned from that experience that the devil you know is worse than the devil you don’t know. I remember we heard from people that if traffic were removed from Church Street, the downtown would die. Clearly, just the opposite occurred and today we have a lot to be proud of.

QUESTION: What was the mood like in the 1970’s?

ERNIE: I remember in the early 1970’s, there were rumblings about Pyramid Company building a mall in Williston. At the Merchants Bureau (which later became the Burlington Business Association) we began talking about efforts to counter Pyramid. We knew we needed help. There had been a schism that had occurred between the merchants bureau and City Hall. That’s a schism that today is almost unimaginable. We were able to demonstrate to city government that we supplied 20% of the city’s tax base and slowly got City Hall to agree that a dramatic shift in downtown was needed. Mayor Paquette got on board and in a way really stuck his neck out politically for the creation of the Marketplace. We collectively pursued a public process with the creation of dozens of special advisory groups and committees. All of that effort resulted in the design of the Marketplace. There was serious discussion about putting a double-decker mall through the center of Church Street. One would be a subterranean mall like you find in Montreal and Toronto. There was a lot of dialogue. I remember when Burlington Square Mall was proposed. There were arguments about not letting it happen, but the downtown business community argued that it would create a bigger pie from which shoppers could choose.

What was your most humorous remembrance about the early days of the Marketplace?

ERNIE: I remember the first lighting ceremony on the Marketplace. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving. My wife Dee had orchestrated the entire ceremony and my sister Rosemary was the first Snow Queen. BED and merchants were busy hanging Christmas lights. I remember even scaling a few trees. Before the lighting ceremony, the downtown tradition had been a Thanksgiving Day parade. I remember I was in charge of turning on the lights, which were located in the Maintenance break room behind Vermont Floral. I was holding a walkie-talkie, talking to some friends at Sweetwaters, and clearly not paying attention All of a sudden, I hear a count down and realize I have ten seconds to make it from Sweetwaters to Vermont Floral – and that’s making my way through a packed street!. John Gravel, who was serving as acting mayor at the time, was in charge of the countdown. When the lights didn’t go on after his first countdown, John said, “Well everybody, I guess we’ll have to reverse the order and count up.” This time, he counted very, very slowly and I probably broke a land speed record up to the break room and managed to flip the power switches, just in time.”

ANTONIO: I think it’s important to remember that there were two generations of contributors who helped Church Street and downtown to develop to what it is today. Gordon Pacquette, Mary Sculley, Art Hogan, Pat Leahy, P.C. Kirby, Meg Harris, Hertzell Pasachow, Bill Preston, Sr., George Little and Bill Aswad to name just a few. A bunch of us started with an idea and literally created something out of nothing.

Church Street Marketplace Commissioners

1980-81
J. Richard Corley
Ralph Cramer
Janet Stackpole
Hertzel N. Pasackow
R. Paul Wicks

1981-82
Parnell C. Kirby
Janet Stackpole
Hertzel N. Pasachow
R. Paul Wicks
J. Richard Corley

1982-83
Harry Walcoff
Janet Stackpole
Hertzel N. Pasackow
Nordahl L. Brue
J. Richard Corley

1983-84
Janet Kerin Stackpole
Hertzel N. Pasachow
Nordahl L. Brue
Pat Robins

1984-85
Janet Kerin Stackpole
Hertzel N. Pasachow
Nordahl L. Brue
Pat Robins
Harry Walcoff

1985-86
Janet Kerin Stackpole
Hertzel N. Pasachow
Kenneth W. Miller
Pat Robins
HarryWalcoff

1986-87
Kenneth Miller
Pat Robins
Charles C. Ryan
Harry Walcoff
Arnold Wetherhead

1987-88
Kenneth W. Miller
Pat Robins
Harry Walcoff
Louise Weiner
Arnold Wetherhead

1988-89
Kenneth Miller, Sr.
Pat Robins
Harry Walcoff
Louise Weiner
Arnold Wetherhead

1989-90
Kenneth W. Miller, Sr.
Nancy W. Chioffi
Louise Weiner
Bob Kaphan

1990-91
Kenneth Miller, Sr.
Bob Kaphan
Nancy W. Chioffi
Nan Patrick
Lorre Tucker

1991-92
Bob Kaphan
Nancy W. Chioffi
Lorre Tucker
Richard S. Hess
Beverly S. Wool

1992-93
Richard S. Hess
Lois M. Bodoky
Bob Kaphan
Lorre A. Tucker
Dave Walsh
Beverly S. Wool
Anne D. Morse

1993-94
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling
Lorre A. Tucker
Dave Walsh
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett
Tim S. Halvorson

1994-95

1995-96
Lorre A. Tucker
Dave Walsh
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett
Tim S. Halvorson
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling

1996-97

1997-98
Timothy Halvorson
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling
Eugene E. Richards, III
James D. Thornton
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett

1998-99
Timothy Halvorson
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling
Eugene Richards, III
James D. Thornton
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett

1999-00
Timothy Halvorson
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling
Eugene Richards, III
James D. Thornton
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett

2000-2001
Timothy Halvorson
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling
Eugene Richards, III
James D. Thornton
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett
Jeff Nick
Joe Carton

2001-2002
Timothy Halvorson
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling
Eugene Richards, III
Pam Pelino
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett
Jeff Nick
Joe Carton

2002-2003
Timothy Halvorson
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling
Eugene Richards, III
Pam Pelino
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett
Jeff Nick
Joe Carton

2003-2004
Timothy Halvorson
Lois M. Bodoky
Brian L. Kling
Eugene Richards, III
Pam Pelino
Beverly S. Wool
Frank H. Bouchett
Jeff Nick
Joe Carton