Origins of the city's name are uncertain, but references to its existence are found as early as 1619. The name may commemorate English mariner Capt.Christopher Newport who made five voyages to Virginia between 1607 and 1619. Capt. Newport was among the most important men connected with the permanent settling of Virginia, having been "in sole charge and command" of the small squadron of three ships making the historic voyage which landed at Jamestown in 1607. Downtown Newport News, the hub of commerce, began to see its demise as early as the 1930's, but the mass exodus of retailers was seen in 1967 when the first indoor shopping mall opened in Hampton. The increased threat of racial riots, with black neighborhoods being only blocks away from the mainly white shopping district, along with the arrival of "retail chain" stores, made "suburban" shopping more appealing. Climate-controlled shopping under one roof also appealed to shoppers. Downtown mainstays such as Leggett, Nachman's, LaVogue, Sears, Woolworth, Grants and Phillip Levy closed, reopeining in suburban Hampton and Newport News. Downtown storefronts were boarded and sat vacant until converted to small factories and shipyard offices or condemned and replaced with shipyard parking and fast food chains. The hustle and bustle business district of department stores, offices, bar, theaters and specialty shops lining Washington Avenue for over 40 years became a ghost town almost overnight. As downtown's businesses left, so did its residents. A downtown revitalization project designed around "The Super Block" was initiated in the 1970's, but never materialized. In 1992, a new bridge-tunnel connecting Hampton to Chesapeake was expected to be the "new beginning" of Newport News, with the "Super Block" project revised. Unfortunately, the tunnel did not generate the expected traffic and the projects, once again, were canceled. Businesses and residents today continue moving northwards to the old Warwick County Denbigh area. Newport News is located on one of the world's greatest natural harbors and is home to one of the largest military complexes in the world, Ft. Eustis Transportation Center. Newport News, long known as one of the world's major shipbuilders through Newport News Shipbuilding which employs 18,000, is emerging into a high-tech future. Attesting to the city's dynamic future are such attractions as the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, a world-class nuclear research and education facility; the Mariner's Museum, one of the world's largest maritime history museums; and the Canon Copier Company's Virginia operations, now a major employer in the region.