Items in Purple are National or State events
1949 – The Housing Act of 1949 provided federal financing for programs associated with Urban Renewal projects in American cities (Title I)
1951 - George Washington Carver Jr. High School and Jr. College opens.
1954 – The Citizens for Good Government (CGG), a non-partisan slate of Candidates slate of candidates is elected. Their desire for improvements and modernization will lead to many of the changes in Rockville.
1954 – Rockville receives its first “All America City Award”.
1956 - Southdale Center (Edina, Minnesota) first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall in the United States built.
1958 - Harrundale Plaza (Baltimore, Maryland) oldest fully enclosed mall in Maryland and the second oldest in the United States built.
1959 - A study recognized that the central business area is losing business and traffic is frequently an issue
1959 - March - Congressional Plaza Shopping Center Opens
1959 - Elwood Smith Teen Center opens (today the building is the Elwood Smith Community Center)
1961 - Rockville applies to FHA for funds to develop a plan for Urban Renewal
1961 - Extension to the Grey Courthouse is constructed
1962 – Planners reveal the first plans for the urban renewal project that includes high-density housing, shopping district, and office space. Donald Coupard and Associates are the architectural consultants.
1962 - March - Dedication of the new Rockville City Hall
1963 – Appraisals are carried out on the 120+ properties that are impacted by Urban Renewal. Residences and businesses are both affected. In June the City purchases properties as a first step to consolidating parcels
1964 - Jefferson Street is realigned and opens to traffic
1965 – Richard L. Geddes [of Geddes Breher and Qualls] is appointed to create a master plan and leads the project with a new vision.
1965 - May 13 – Demolition begins. Five buildings were demolished by Ace Wrecking Company on that date and lots were cleaned up.
1966 - 22 buildings in downtown are demolished and 110 more are slated for demolition
1967 - Jefferson Street extended to Rockville Pike/ Hungerford Drive/ Veirs Mill intersection and work beings on the intersection in August. Construction of the new Monroe Street is started. The Beall Avenue extension is completed.
1968 - Carl M. Freeman and Associates are selected to design and build a residential complex later known as the Americana Center.
1968 - The Fair Housing Act goes into effect
1969 - August 12 - Ground Breaking for the Rockville Mall.
1970 - Segments of East Montgomery Ave, Commerce Land, and Bridge Street are closed and abandoned
1970 - March 12 - Ground Breaking for the Americana Center
1971 - July - The Americana Center opens in July with 289 units, 123 Garden Apartments, and 10 townhouses.
1971 - Rockville Regional Library, designed by Bethesda architect Stanley H. Arthur is completed
1971 - Disney World opens in Orlando, Fl
1972 – February 12 Rockville Mall opens with 3 stores. The 113 year old department store chain, Lansburgh, is expected to be the anchor store, but the chain goes out of business in June 1973.
1974 - 51 Monroe Street opens
1978 - Town Center Apartments open (Senior Living - 90 Monroe Street)
1983 - Rockville Mall reopens as "Rockville Metro Center" with a pedestrian bridge linking it to the Metro stop.
1984 – Metro extends Red Line to Rockville
1993 - 1995 Demolition of Rockville Mall - a section of the mall which connects to the Metro is left standing and is used as office space.