In 1976 , East Main Street was converted into a pedestrian mall designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin . In 2007 , Charlottesville planned a comprehensive rehabilitation and renovation of the Downtown Mall . Construction on the Mall Renovation began on Sunday , January 7 , 2009 and was completed that summer . In 2017 , a car was deliberately rammed into a crowd during a peaceful protest . One woman died and 26 others were injured
deliberately rammed
Charlottesville car attack
Downtown Mall