Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace turns 45 this fall, but it has been a commercial and community hub in the Queen City for much longer. The street gets its name from the Unitarian Universalist church at its top, which was built in 1816. The dusty dirt lane had a mixture of stores and homes, and it was dark, too. Gas lamps illuminated the boulevard in 1854 and were replaced by electric lights in 1886. Public transportation began in 1885 with the Winooski & Burlington Horse Railroad, and tracks ran up the center of the street. In 1893 they were replaced with electric trolley cars, and by 1929 buses were transporting people.
Church Street got less dusty when it was concreted in 1923 and then paved with asphalt in 1948. It became a one-way street in 1959 and was a popular place for youths to cruise their cars. The Burlington Square Mall opened in 1976 — an attempt to compete with shopping centers in the suburbs. After the Church Street Marketplace was founded in 1981, the entire street was eventually closed to traffic and became the pedestrian brick walkway that we enjoy today.
In the latest episode of “Stuck in Vermont,” Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger takes a stroll up Church Street with local historian Bob Blanchard to hear about the evolution of the iconic street.
Music: “Billy Goat Stomp,” by Jelly Roll Morton, performed by Joel Cummins
JR Tundra, “Red Hot Son”
This episode of “Stuck in Vermont” was supported by the Vermont Community Foundation.
The post Stuck in Vermont: Strolling Through Church Street’s Past With Bob Blanchard appeared first on Seven Days.