Eugene Mall
| Location | Eugene, Oregon |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°02′56″N 123°05′34″W / 44.048817°N 123.092753°WCoordinates: 44°02′56″N 123°05′34″W / 44.048817°N 123.092753°W |
| Opening date | February 13, 1971 |
| Closing date | September 18, 2001 |
| Management | Public space: Eugene Public Works; Eugene Downtown Association; Eugene Downtown Commission; Privately owned retail and office space |
| Owner | Public space: Eugene, Oregon |
| Architect | Mitchell, McArthur, Garner, O'Kane Associates |
| Parking | Initially metered, then 2200 free spaces |
The Eugene Mall was a car-free zone in the heart of Eugene, Oregon, designed to encourage pedestrian access to shopping and entertainment areas. Dedicated on February 13, 1971, the mall opened amid three days of fanfare and dreams of a revitalized downtown. Conflict over the scope and use of the mall began immediately and continued for 30 years until the last remaining parts of the mall were opened to automobile traffic. At that time, a former Eugene mayor commented that the city's dreams for a bright future just hadn't worked. Many residents, however, shared the much-earlier view of a former downtown merchant, that Eugene had sustained more damage from the mall than it would have from a natural disaster.
The Post–World War II economic expansion created a gradual exodus from city core areas in the United States, and federally funded urban renewal projects empowered communities to demolish historic downtown areas and build new, modern structures. With dramatic increases in automobile purchases accompanied by a post-WWII decline in public transportation, many communities accepted urban renewal financing to demolish buildings and install much-needed parking areas.
As climate-controlled, suburban shopping centers became common in the 1960s, communities began to explore ways of drawing retail and entertainment business back into downtown areas. An experimental method of encouraging business was a downtown mall. One researcher found that approximately 200 pedestrian malls were constructed in the United States by the close of the 20th century, although only 15 remained in 2013.
In 1963, a Lane County planning director predicted that by 1980, residents of Eugene would live in an age of push-button automation where hands-free cars would speed them into the city core, and they could park in multi-story structures and be whisked on moving sidewalks to an extensive, plastic-covered shoppers' mall.
But the idea of the Eugene Mall had been considered by civic leaders prior to the 1960s. In 1945, for example, Fred Cuthbert proposed closing Willamette Street to cars in order to create a landscaped pedestrian oasis in the center of town, and he suggested parking along the perimeter. As part of the Eugene Centennial Celebration in 1959, a section of Broadway from Oak Street to Charnelton Street was closed to motor traffic, and pedestrians were delighted.
By 1968 the city council was discussing a federally funded urban renewal project to build the Eugene Mall.
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Wikipedia