of office space. The retail project was designed by Guernsey-Tingle Architects. Henderson Inc. was chosen as the General Contractor for the project, and AES Consulting Engineers was selected for the site plan work. All are local companies, as are most of the subcontractors. Demolition began in September 2010, with a groundbreaking ceremony in the beginning of December. Construction was completed in spring of 2012, with a grand opening held on April 5, 2012, the date which would have been founder Jimmy Maloney’s 100th birthday. There was a ceremonial ribbon cutting when they opened to the public. Visitors At one time, Williamsburg Pottery was a top tourist attraction in the Historic Triangle. During the mid-1990s, it became such a popular attraction that Amtrak made Williamsburg Pottery a regular stop for passengers, although this stop was discontinued around 1996. It was estimated that more than 3,000,000 people visited Williamsburg Pottery on a yearly basis. As of 2010, visitors had dropped to 500,000 people a year. The number of visitors are not yet available since the 2012 redevelopment. However, even though the Pottery owners have expressed optimism for their long-term goals, they have stated that so far the development has not attracted as many new visitors as they had hoped. See also Williamsburg Soap and Candle Factory References External links Home page http://williamsburgpottery.com/about-us/ Buildings and structures in York County, Virginia Buildings and structures in James City County, Virginia Shopping malls in Virginia Shopping malls established in 2012 Companies based in Virginia Tourist attractions in York County, Virginia Tourist attractions in James City County, Virginia American pottery Ceramics manufacturers of the United States