1964 church street photo

Church Street Changes

  • Bird's Eye View of Early Church Street from the Unitarin Church

    Bird's Eye View of Early Church Street from the Unitarin Church
    This view depicts Church Street as a dirt road lined with commercial buildings. Hitching posts with horses tied to them are in front of the buildings and there are visible dirt sidewalks in front of the buildings. In the image there are a few residential houses as well. The dome of City Hall and chapels of other churches can been seen in the distance.
  • View of Church Street from Unitarian Church

    View of Church Street from Unitarian Church
    Church Street, still seen as a dirt road in this picture, however, the sidewalks lining the road are now paved. Large decidous trees are scattered along the street in front of large brick buildings that now have awnings over the front doors. The buildings seem to be for commercial use.
  • Colored Photograph of Church Street from College Street

    Colored Photograph of Church Street from College Street
    Church Street is still comprised of a dirt road and paved sidewalks allowing for pedestrians to walk along the buildings and horse drawn carts to travel down the center. Utility lines now run down Church Street on either side. The Unitarian Church is pictured at the end of the street. This image illustrates the windows of the commercial buildings.
  • Church Street's Trolley

    Church Street's Trolley
    In the center of the image there are trolley rails running south down Church Street. The road is lined with paved sidewalks and street lights.
  • Church Street Paved

    Church Street Paved
    Church Street looking north towards the Unitarian Church in the 1930s. The street is paved and lined with cars. Retail stores run along the road including Curriers, Montgomery Ward, Jan's Famous Shoes, W.T. Grant Co., Abernethy, Clarkson, Wright, Inc., as well as multiple pharmacies.
  • Cars Parked Along Church Street

    Cars Parked Along Church Street
    This is a view looking down Church Street from Pearl Street. There are parked cars and street lights along Church Street. Retail stores are on the first level of the buidlings lining the street.
  • View of Church Street in 1950

    View of Church Street in 1950
    This view of Church Street in the 1950s is facing the north end of the street with the Unitarian Church in the background. One can see a sign for Bailey's Music Rooms and the storefronts of Gee's Shoes and Joseph's Jewelers.
  • Church Street

    Church Street
    Church Street in the late 50’s was still an economically viable part of the city, yet in appearance, very different from the way it is today. The automobile visible up and down the street, was to become even more numerous in the coming years with the adoption of the Interstate Highway Act. Knowing that increased access to the city would reshuffle land values, city planners began to realize the benefit that a specially developed commercial downtown center might provide to the community.
  • Church Street Photo

    Church Street Photo
    Still open to vehicular traffic, and still a vibrant economic center in Burlington, Church Street was still over a decade away from undergoing a complete make-over that would turn this two-way business street into a pedestrian mall.
  • Church Street Sketch-Up

    Church Street Sketch-Up
    An artist’s rendition of the proposed Church Street Mall that would allow direct pedestrian access to store fronts as well being an aesthetically beautiful place for residents to socialize.
  • Abrahams Store

    Abrahams Store
    a white, four-story building with three rows of block windows is visible on the corner of Church St. and College St. At the top of the building, below a chimney, large dark letters read, "ABRAHAM'S." At ground level, on the right side of the building at 111 Church St. a small store with two large glass windows and glass door can be seen. This building still stands today, with Leunigs Bistro now at street level.
  • Church St, Mall Proposal

    Church St, Mall Proposal
  • Church St. with Vehicle Traffic

    Church St. with Vehicle Traffic
    a view of Church St. looking across Bank St. and toward Pearl St. is given. On the left side in the foreground of the frame, a grey, parked car with a blue car parked in front can be seen. To the left of the blue, parked car, a three-story building with multiple windows and two light posts in front is visible. Above a green and white striped awning, black lettering reads, "THE KELLEY PHARMACY."
  • Citzens Reclaim Church St.

    Citzens Reclaim Church St.
    A Burlington Free Press article in 1971 covers an even on Church St. As debates were held on the decision to convert Chruch St. to pedestrian access only, this event was held to see what would happen if the change was made. As the image shows, it was a popular event.
  • Church St. Marketplace Proposal

    Church St. Marketplace Proposal
    A model of a proposal for a Church St. marketplace. This particular design shows a multi-level mall, with the new level beneath street level. Construction would have required excating beneath shops on the ground level of Church St. (1 of 2 images)
  • Church St. Marketplace Proposal

    Church St. Marketplace Proposal
    The second of two images of this particular model, this image shows the escalator that would have featured at the church end of Church St. (Image 2/2)
  • A Description of the Church St. Mall Proposal

    A Description of the Church St. Mall Proposal
    This image lays out the design parameters for Church Street Mall, a project under Burlington's urban renewal. This model proposes that the mall spans four blocks, from Main St. to Pearl St. A design plan is shown at the bottom of the frame. In the top left of the frame a close-up design plan for a typical mall block is shown with legend. In the top right of the frame a sketch rendering what the proposed plan would look like is given.
  • Church St. In Winter with Vehicle Traffic

    Church St. In Winter with Vehicle Traffic
  • Church Street Became a Pedestrian Mall

    Church Street Became a Pedestrian Mall
    Construction of the new Church Street design began on July 7, 1980. The final design was to create a one-level street mall with replacement and improvement of underground utilities, resurfacing of the street, closing the street to cars, adding canopies, and including a downtown bus loop. The design scheme cost $6 million dollars.
  • Outdoor Restaurant Seating on Church Street

    Outdoor Restaurant Seating on Church Street
    This image depicts people eating at tables outside of a restaurant found on Church Street. There are also leafy decidous trees seen in the background lining the brick pedestrian mall. There are also wooden benches for people to sit.
  • Leunigs...Abrahams

    Leunigs...Abrahams
    In this image is what most recognize as Leunigs Bistro. Have you noticed the large "ABRAHAMS" letting across the top of the building before?
  • Charrette Idea for Church Street

    Charrette Idea for Church Street
    Chickens on Church Street? One idea that was generated at the Plan BTV Charrette. Maybe this is not a real possibility but enhancing the pedestrian mall with more green space could happen in the future.
  • Charrette Idea for Church Street

    Charrette Idea for Church Street
    One idea generated at the Plan BTV Design Charrette is to redesign alleyways along Church Street and make them points of interest with access to businesses and retail stores while still being accessible only by foot.