The Ped Mall, also known as the Pedestrian Mall, is a

pedestrian mall Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

located in downtown Iowa City,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, near the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

campus. Officially named City Plaza it was completed in 1979 as the centerpiece of the city’s

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

project. Landscaping was completed the following year. It was designed by Jack Leaman of Associated Engineers, Inc., in

Mason City, Iowa Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro G ...

. While pedestrian malls were a common feature of urban renewal projects in the United States, the Iowa City Ped Mall is one of the few that is still in existence. Spanning from Burlington Street to Washington Street and Clinton Street to Linn Street, the Ped Mall serves as a gathering place for students, locals, and transients. It draws large crowds for its summertime events such as the Friday Night Concert Series and the annual Iowa City Jazz Festival and Iowa City Arts Festival. The Ped Mall area also contains restaurants, bars, retail, hotels, and the Iowa City Public Library. The

Coldren Opera House The Coldren Opera House is a former theater that operated in Iowa City, Iowa from 1877 until its closure in 1912. History The original opening of Englert Theatre with its legitimate stage and orchestra pit, plus a huge retractable screen for m ...

was located on the street which has now become the mall. In 2021, it was included as a contributing property in the Iowa City Downtown Historic District.

References

External links

Old Capital Cultural DistrictIowa City Jazz Festival

Iowa City Arts FestivalIowa City Ped Mall Webcam
{{NRHP in Iowa City, Iowa Buildings and structures in Iowa City, Iowa Tourist attractions in Iowa City, Iowa Pedestrian malls in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Iowa City, Iowa Historic district contributing properties in Iowa