Bustling crowds filled downtown Gainesville on Friday as conversations, live music and towering stilt performers brought the Streatery to life.
Hundreds of residents celebrated the opening of the long-awaited downtown space with local leaders, including members of the Gainesville and Alachua County commissions, who commenced the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The $4.95 million project began construction in April and transformed Southwest 1st Avenue, from Southwest 2nd Street to South Main Street, into a pedestrian-only space designed to host markets, concerts and festivals.
Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward told an audience the Streatery was inspired by similar projects around the country, including New York City and Athens, Georgia. Ward also recognized former Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe and City Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos for their role in developing the vision for the space.
“These things don’t work without political will,” Ward said. “I’ll promise you that within a year, this entire community is going to be telling stories to people who visit them about the Streatery.”
Ward said the space was also intended to help business owners reach customers who were unable to dine indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The area needed infrastructure improvements to address safety concerns, including inadequate rainwater drainage, he added.
Alachua County Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler thanked residents for their support and said she hopes the space will be used to host events like Oktoberfest.
“All of these wonderful things that are happening in the county and the city are as a result of you all believing in the projects that we put forward,” Wheeler said. “You must take ownership now and make this place thrive as it belongs to you.”
Friday’s event featured retail and food vendors, some of whom will have storefronts in the space. People stood in lines that stretched into the parking lot to sample offerings, including pizza, tacos and matcha samples from Gainesville restaurants and cafes.
Other vendors included local artists, such as Sweetwater Print Co-operative. The booth featured prints from local artists showcasing a range of styles, techniques and subjects. Toni Jepson, a member of the co-op said the event brought people interested in learning more about local businesses.
“Seems like people are really excited for this new area,” Jepson said. “It seems like a different setting than what it used to be.”
Beyond the Streatery, the city and county are continuing their efforts to revitalize the area, said Andrew Persons, interim city manager. Members of the Downtown Advisory Board continue to apply for grants to begin similar construction for blocks surrounding the Streatery.
The city’s Wild Spaces and Public Places program also hosted a table at the event to gather community feedback on potential interactive art installations for the space, he added.
“We’re not done here today, we’re going to keep working with this space in addition to our downtown and our city,” Persons said.