Fayetteville's Courthouse Square Heads Into The Holidays With A New Back Door
Olde Courthouse Tavern sits at 105 South Glynn Street, across Highway 85 from the old Fayette County Courthouse. Its front door faces the highway and has steps. In September, the tavern's family told The Citizen that about 75% of its customers have traditionally come in through the back, from the alley and the parking lot behind the building. The rear entrance is also the tavern's accessible entrance.
That pattern holds along the west side of the courthouse square, and it explains why this holiday season on the square is a little different. For the first time, the back of the block has a finished way in during the holidays: a two-way alley, a rebuilt parking lot, sidewalks, accessible spaces, string lights and a small plaza. Pink Friday, Small Business Saturday and the holiday window contest all lead shoppers to storefronts that most of them will reach from behind.
The city's Downtown Development Director, Lori Funderwhite, told The Citizen that the alleyway improvement had been in planning for more than a decade before construction began in September 2024. The old alley was narrow, and cars and pedestrians shared it. Drivers used it in both directions, vehicles had hit buildings, and there were no ADA-compliant parking spaces.
The project was expected to take about 12 months. Adjacent property owners filed lawsuits during construction, and the city redesigned the work while it was underway. The redesign added about nine months and split the project into two phases.
Phase One opened on July 2, 2026. The new lot holds about as many cars as the old one, but its layout keeps vehicle traffic away from people on foot. Phase Two covers the strip right behind the rear doors, between the businesses and the new alley. That work buries the overhead power lines and resurfaces the old asphalt. Conduit for the buried lines went in during Phase One. City renderings show the old alley with a more finished surface and room for outdoor seating. As of The Citizen's September report, Phase Two had not started.
So holiday shoppers will park in a new lot, walk a new sidewalk past the plaza, and step through rear doors that open onto the older surface Phase Two will replace.
During construction, the Fayetteville Downtown Development Authority paid hardship grants to businesses next to the work. A business that documented a revenue loss against the same month a year earlier could receive up to $1,500 for that month. The cap rose to $2,500 for the final four months of Phase One, and the program ended when Phase One opened in July.
The block and the streets around it hold a short list of independent businesses. Main Street Fayetteville's dining and shopping directory and the city's business directory list these on and around the square:
Ballard Law shares the same layout, with a front door on Highway 85 and a rear entrance toward the alley. Attorney David Ballard told The Citizen he supported improving the old alley and that the finished work "is an improvement." At Olde Courthouse Tavern, the family has kept up live music and community events.
"We're all about the improvements wanting to be brought to the downtown area."
The tavern's family said that to The Citizen in September, along with a shorter line about getting through construction: "You have to survive to someday."
One more address is part of the block's future. Rickshaw Thai Kitchen & Bar is planned for 119 S. Glynn St. The city's Major Developments tracker describes it as an upscale restaurant with a new feature entryway, decorative aluminum panels on the south side and a new mural. Fayette County News reported that the DDA awarded the restaurant a facade grant toward those exterior panels. The DDA owns the building and expects to sell it once the restaurant opens.
Main Street Fayetteville and the city split the season between City Center Park, behind City Hall at 210 Stonewall Avenue West, and the downtown business blocks. Three of the events are built around shopping at downtown businesses, and those are the ones that bring people to the square.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Movie in the Park: "Elf," fall series finale | City Center Park | 5:30 p.m.; movie starts after sunset |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Pink Friday | Downtown Fayetteville | Hours not listed |
| Nov. 27 to Dec. 21 | Holiday Window Display contest | Downtown business windows | Ongoing |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Christmas Parade & Light Up City Center Park | Downtown route; City Center Park | Parade 5:30 p.m.; lighting 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday | Downtown Fayetteville | Hours not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Miracle on Main Street Market | City Center Park | 4 to 8 p.m. |
Main Street Fayetteville promotes Pink Friday as a downtown, shop-small alternative to a 3 a.m. Black Friday start. The Holiday Window Display contest is a friendly competition among downtown Main Street businesses and runs from the day after Thanksgiving through Dec. 21. Small Business Saturday follows the next morning. All three send people from their cars to the storefronts, and on the west side of the square that walk now starts in the rebuilt lot.
The Miracle on Main Street Market on Dec. 12 brings Santa, cookie decorating, a vendor market and food trucks to City Center Park. Since the plaza opened, the city and Main Street have encouraged the businesses next to it to use the space for their own events. Funderwhite told The Citizen, "We're really hoping this will be something that benefits the businesses and is an amenity for the city."
The city's listing for the Nov. 27 parade says it will follow the same route as last year. It also says the whole parade can be seen from City Center Park. The city's 2025 parade notice describes that route:
Last year, road closures began at 5:30 p.m. The city suggested parking at Lafayette Educational Center, the Fayette County Government Complex, the Fayette County Public Library, First United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church and the Fayette County Justice Center. After the parade, the park lighting runs from 6 to 8 p.m. with live music, cookie decorating, face painting, and food and sweet trucks. Nonprofits and churches can enter floats for free.
The route loops around the courthouse, so the businesses facing it are on the route.
The lighting and the December market are in a park whose playground area has been under construction this fall. On Sept. 29, the city announced that the City Center Park playgrounds would close starting Oct. 5. Crews would remove the junior playground, install a completely new one, and add features to the newer playground for older children. The new equipment matches the colors and architectural details of the existing playground. The city estimated four to six weeks for the work, weather permitting, and the rest of the park stayed open.
Fayetteville Public Services Director Cajen Rhodes explained the choice in the city's announcement. The city faced "potentially hefty repair bills" for the old junior playground and replaced it with "something that will look better, be more accessible, and offer many more fun and interactive features."
A few blocks away, Church Street Park at 250 Church Street closed Sept. 30 for a full restroom building, which Rhodes called a top resident request for several years. The project is funded with 2023 SPLOST money and had the same four-to-six-week estimate. The city said it would post updates on both projects on its website and social media channels.
Downtown Fayetteville is getting the same treatment on several fronts this fall: new playground equipment behind City Hall, a restroom on Church Street, and a rebuilt alley behind the square. Each was designed to make an everyday trip downtown easier. On Small Business Saturday, a trip to the west side of the square means parking in the new lot, walking past the string-lit plaza, and going in through the back door, the way most of Olde Courthouse Tavern's customers always have.
Cyndi Williams keeps an eye on downtown Fayetteville projects like the alleyway, Rickshaw Thai's building at 119 S. Glynn St. and the city's development tracker, because they shape how the blocks around the square work from year to year. If you'd like to talk through what's changing near your part of Fayetteville, True Atlanta Real Estate is glad to help. Schedule your free consultation.
I listen to your needs and utilize the best information and market data to guide, inform and equip you with the best negotiation position. From the first phone consultation, I will listen intently and ask appropriate questions to ensure I understand your expectations throughout the process.