Duke of Gloucester named a top "Great Street"

Duke of Gloucester Street Duke of Gloucester Street, which links Colonial Williamsburg's reconstructed Capitol building to William & Mary's ancient campus and its historic Wren Building, was designated one of the nation's top streets by the American Planning Association's Great Places in American Program. Photo courtesy of the City of Williamsburg

by Staff | October 8, 2009

Just steps from William & Mary's historic campus is now one of country's the "Top 10 Great Streets" for 2009.

Duke of Gloucester Street, which links Colonial Williamsburg's reconstructed Capitol building to William & Mary's ancient campus and its historic Wren Building, was designated one of the nation's top streets by the American Planning Association's Great Places in American Program.

According to a City of Williamsburg press release, APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.

The APA said in a press release that it picked the Duke of Gloucester street "for its unique ability to evoke the past at the same time it maintains a lively mix of modern-day uses." "

Early visionaries, with the financial backing of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., transformed Duke of Gloucester from a vehicle-dominated U.S. Highway to a pedestrian street that recreates the Williamsburg of 200 years ago," the APA release said. "While it is a living history museum, Duke of Gloucester is also a vibrant community street for residents and the College of William and Mary."

The nine other "great streets" recognized by the APA this year are: Broadway Street, Skagway, Ala.; President Clinton Avenue, Little Rock, Ark.; Front Street, Bath, Maine; South Main Street, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Front Street, Traverse City, Mich.; Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, N.J.; Main Street, Greenville, S.C.; North Main Street, Wheeling, W.Va.; and East Newberry Boulevard, Milwaukee, Wis.

"One of the City's most important goals is to protect and enhance Williamsburg's unique character, and we are committed to keeping Duke of Gloucester as vibrant and relevant as it was in the 18th century," said Williamsburg Mayor Jeanne Zeidler. "Its recognition by the APA, and the central role it plays in the community today, are a testament not only to intelligent and thoughtful planning, but also to the collaboration and commitment over many years by the City, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, planners, business leaders, and citizens."