Mason Andrews - Norfolk Visionary

Norfolk Visionary

During his tenure on the city council (1974-2000), Andrews was instrumental in the redevelopment of the downtown waterfront. Andrews introduced the developer of the Baltimore Inner Harbor, James Rouse, to Norfolk. Rouse designed the Waterside Festival Marketplace for the Norfolk waterfront. City officials largely credit Andrews for the opening of Waterside as well as Town Point Park and Nauticus on the waterfront and for the city's bold decision to spend tens of millions of dollars to open the $300 million MacArthur Center mall. MacArthur Center, considered a risky investment, has generated millions of dollars in direct tax revenue to the city above and beyond its debt service and has become a catalyst for development of Norfolk's historic retail center along Granby Street.

Other downtown projects promoted by Andrews included the Norfolk campus of Tidewater Community College.

"In many ways, he was the architect of downtown as we now know it," said Cathy Coleman, of the Downtown Norfolk Council. Quoted by The Virginian-Pilot in 2006, Coleman remarked that "(Andrews') imprint is everywhere, from the waterfront to Main Street to Tidewater Community College to the medical center to the streetscapes – it just goes on and on."

Andrews promoted a downtown development strategy that combined meticulous planning with millions of dollars of city money to lure private investment. Once the region's retail core, downtown had been decimated by suburban shopping malls. Waterfront property was considered so cheap that it was used for parking. Andrews championed downtown Norfolk as the Hampton Roads region's business and entertainment center. The waterfront, he said, should become the focal point of downtown life. By the time of his death, what was once regarded as his farfetched vision had been realized.