The Big Picture

Charlottesville’s oldest restaurant just reached a milestone. Opened in 1923 by University of Virginia alums Billy Gooch and Ellis Brown, The Virginian (shown at left in 1983) celebrated its 100th anniversary on September 23. The Corner mainstay has grown and changed a lot during the past century, from serving soda during Prohibition, to desegregation in the ’50s, and hosting debaucherous downstairs parties in the ’70s. The coveted bar stools were reserved for fourth-year “Corner Kings” until 1930, when first-years came and made the narrow eatery their own. Andy McClure (another UVA grad) took over the restaurant in 2001, and today The Virginian remains a late-night favorite among students, who can’t get enough of the Stumble Down Mac N’ Cheese, The Famous Virginian Club, and the hard-to-beat happy hour deals. Here’s to a hundred more.