Waterside District
The Waterside District at night as viewed from the waterfront in February 2026 | |
Interactive map of Waterside District | |
| Former names | Waterside Festival Marketplace (1983–2014) Waterside Live! (2013–2015) |
|---|---|
| Address | 333 Waterside Drive, 25310 |
| Location | Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Elevation | 6.9 to 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Owner | The Cordish Companies |
| Operator | Live! Hospitality & Entertainment |
| Type | Festival marketplace (1983–2014) Dining and entertainment venue (2017–present) |
| Current use | Dining and entertainment venue |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 1981 (The Waterside) August 26, 2015 (Waterside District) |
| Built | 1983 (Waterside) 1990 (Annex) |
| Opened | June 1, 1983 |
| Renovated | 2017 (Waterside District Redevelopment Project) |
| Expanded | September 1990 (Waterside Annex) |
| Closed | October 2014 (as a festival marketplace) |
| Reopened | May 11, 2017 |
| Demolished | May 16, 2016 (Waterside Annex only) |
| Rebuilt | 2017 |
| Years active | June 1, 1983–October 2014 (as a festival marketplace) May 11, 2017–present (as an entertainment district) |
| Architect | Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT) |
| Tenants | |
| 10-15 plus temporary and seasonal events (120+ stores and restaurants at peak, as a festival marketplace) | |
| Website | |
| watersidedistrict watersidemarketplace.com (2006 archive) | |
Building details | |
The Waterside District in December 2024 | |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Developer | The Rouse Company, The Enterprise Development Company and Harvey Lindsay Commercial Real Estate (TRC of Virginia, Inc.) |
| Renovating team | |
| Renovating firm | The Cordish Companies |
The Waterside District is a dining and entertainment district on the Elizabeth River in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia, United States. It opened on June 1, 1983 as The Waterside, which was a festival marketplace. While the Waterside Annex was demolished on May 16, 2016, the main portion was renovated and reopened as Waterside District in May 2017.
The original Waterside was developed by Columbia–based real-estate firms The Rouse Company and the Enterprise Development Company (EDC), both founded by James W. Rouse, and local developer Harvey Lindsay Jr. However, Waterside later struggled, and therefore, the Waterside District redevelopment was initiated by Baltimore–based The Cordish Companies, which "de-malled" the structure. Prior to construction on the current Waterside District, it was known as Waterside Live! during redevelopment planning.