This article reads like a directory .(September 2018) |
Main Street America's local Main Street programs aim to revitalize downtowns and commercial districts through preservation-based economic development and community revitalization. The "Main Street Project" [1] was begun in 1977 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with a pilot involving 3 towns: Galesburg, Illinois; Madison, Indiana; and Hot Springs, South Dakota. [2] Based on the success in those three towns, a pilot project followed in six states: Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. [3]
Since then, Main Street America has expanded the program to many other towns. These may be statewide or regional "coordinating programs" or "local programs." Programs determined to be "Designated" follow best-practices established by the National Main Street Center and/or statewide or regional coordinating programs. [4] One requirement of being a "Designated" program is to appoint a full-time staff member, often called a main street manager.
In 2020, there were 860 Nationally Accredited Main Street America programs and 44 Coordinating Programs. [5]
While there is no statewide coordinating program, there is at least one local program accredited by Main Street America.
Accredited Programs
The Arizona Downtown Alliance was started in 1984 to encourage the redevelopment and improvement of downtowns in Arizona. Steven Griffin served as the President in 1984-1985. [7] William E. Mosher, executive director of Tucson's Downtown Development Corporation was elected president in January 1987. The first ever statewide historic preservation conference, "A Sense of Place" was held June 2003 with support from the Arizona Main Street Program. [8] Around 2008 the Main Street Program was housed under the Arizona Department of Commerce. [9] Today Lani Lott is Coordinator of the Arizona Downtown Alliance, a program of the Arizona Preservation Foundation.
Designated programs
Non-Designated Programs
California established a statewide coordinating program in 1986. From 1986 to 2002, the California Main Street Program was administered by the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency and supported by State General Funds. That agency was eliminated in 2002/03 due to a budget crisis. In 2004 the California Main Street Program was re-established within the Office of Historic Preservation. [11]
Designated Programs
Non-Designated Programs - may be active or inactive
After the "Main Street Project" concluded in 1979, Colorado was one of the first six states selected for establishment of a statewide coordinating program. At the time of founding the Gates Foundation gave $100,000 to underwrite free design services in Main Street communities. [12] Today the Colorado Department of Local Affairs serves the statewide coordinating program. In Colorado there are Designated, Candidate, Graduate, and Affiliate communities. "Main Street Communities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
Designated Communities
Candidate Communities
Graduate Communities
Affiliate Communities
Lisa Bumbera was coordinator for the State Program in 1995 when it was established under Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P). Connecticut was the first state to have its program sponsored by a private corporation rather than by the state government. [13] The Connecticut Main Street Center was established as an independent non-profit in December 1999. The Connecticut Department of Economic Development became a Founding Partner of the program, along with CL&P. John Simone became the first full-time executive director of Connecticut Main Street in January 2000. [14] When NU merged with Boston-based NStar in April 2012 the future of the program was cast into question. [15] In August 2017, Patrick McMahon became Chief Executive Officer for the Connecticut Main Street Center, Inc.
Non-participating Communities
DelBiz on Main is the state Coordinating Program for Delaware, located within the Department of State, Division of Small Business. [28]
Accredited Programs
Other Programs
DC Main Streets was established in 2002 and provides services and funding to the 24 Main Street programs in the District of Columbia. [31]
Non-Designated Programs
After the "Main Street Project" concluded in 1979, Georgia was one of the first six states selected for establishment of a statewide coordinating program. At the time of founding the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation raised $100,000 to provide design assistance to Main Street Communities. [32] Today the Georgia Main Street program serves over 100 communities.
No designated programs
The statewide Main Street coordinating program was launched in June 2012 under the Idaho Department of Commerce. Jerry Miller is the state coordinator for Idaho. [33]
Designated Programs
Affiliate Programs
Originally field staff with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Chicago were instrumental in starting the "Main Street Project." One of the three original "Main Street Project" communities was in Galesburg, Illinois, from 1977-1979. Donna Ann Harris was the State Coordinator of the Illinois Main Street Program between 2000 and 2002. [34] Presently Kelly Humrichouser is state coordinator for the Illinois Main Street program that has 19 active programs across the state. [35]
Designated Programs
Non-designated Programs - Some may be active, others not
The Louisiana Main Street Program is within the Office of Cultural Development and the Division of Historic Preservation. Established in 1984, there are presently 24 designated Main Street Programs in Louisiana. [44]
Designated Programs
Non-Designated Programs
The Maine Development Foundation serves as the coordinating program for Maine. In August 2018, Main Street Maine communities launched a website to share authentic Maine downtown experiences, featuring businesses and attractions in each city and town with the National Main Street designation.
Main Street Maine Communities
Maine Downtown Affiliates
After the "Main Street Project" concluded in 1979, Massachusetts was one of the first six states selected for establishment of a statewide coordinating program. At the time of founding banking industry leaders held two conferences to discuss innovative financing programs. [46] Under the leadership of then Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, a citywide coordinating program was established in Boston. This has since grown to include 22 designated Main Street programs in Boston. [47] [48]
A unique approach has been taken in Minnesota to rebrand the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota as "Rethos" - a 501c3 non-profit that works with Main Street communities but also neighborhood groups, developers, and homeowners. [50]
Designated Communities
Network Communities
Other Communities
The Mississippi Main Street Association was established in 1984 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi. Mississippi Main Street serves as the coordinating program for 48 designated Main Street programs in Mississippi. Thomas Gregory currently serves as the executive director and state coordinator for the Mississippi Main Street Association. [52] Previous state coordinators include Bob Wilson, Beverly Meng, Stacy Pair and Scott Barksdale. [53] Below is a list of Mississippi's designated Main Street programs.
Missouri has over 160 commercial districts participating in Missouri Main Street. A state-wide non-profit organization was formed in 2004 and recognizes communities in the following categories: Accredited, Associate, Affiliate, and Aspiring. There are 7 accredited communities with the highest level of designation. [54] Gayla Roten has been State Director since November 2007. She is assisted in that role by a staff of six. [55]
Accredited Communities
Associate Communities
Affiliate Communities
Other Communities
Montana Main Street Program was established in 2005 as a collaborative effort between the Community Development Division and the Montana Office of Tourism at the Department of Commerce. [57] Three pilot projects for the program were selected in 2006: Anaconda, Polson, and Red Lodge. Joining them a few years later were Libby, STevensville, Butte, and Livingston to bring the total up to seven. [58] In 2013 Governor Steve Bullock brought together the Community Development Division of the Montana Office of Tourism and the Montana Department of Commerce in a new effort to help revitalize historic downtowns in Montana, after the Montana Main Street Program had been cut in the 2013 Legislative Session. At the time twenty-one communities were participating in the program. [59]
Certified Programs
Affiliate Programs
No designated programs
New Jersey has two Great American Main Street Award winners: Westfield (2004) and Montclair (2015). Today the Main Street New Jersey coordinating program is operated by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in Trenton, New Jersey.
New York is one of the few states in the US that does not have a state coordinating program officially recognized by Main Street America. That has not prevented a number of communities from pursuing downtown revitalization, with several that have faithfully followed the Main Street Approach.
Non-Designated Programs
No designated programs
There are three levels of designation in Oregon: Performing Main Street, Transforming Downtown, and Exploring Downtown. Today they are 64 Main Street programs in Oregon. [67]
Performing Main Street
Transforming Downtown
Not Designated - May be Active or Inactive
After the "Main Street Project" concluded in 1979, Pennsylvania was one of the first six states selected for establishment of a statewide coordinating program. [68] Today the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, founded in 1987, is the state coordinating program for Pennsylvania.
No designated programs
The South Carolina Downtown Development Association was formed as a private, nonprofit organization in 1984. Five of the original towns in the South Carolina Main Street Program named in 1984 were Sumter, Chester, Union, Lancaster, and Georgetown. [69] In 1985 they were joined by five more towns: Clinton, Beaufort, Gaffney, Greer, and Seneca. [70] Another five cities were named to the program in 1986: Anderson, Bennettsville, Camden, Conway, and Darlington. [71] A call went out in 1999 for "1,000 Friends of South Carolina" to support the ongoing work of the South Carolina Downtown Development Association. That call for supporters reflected on the effectiveness of a grassroots approach to achieve community revitalization over the past 16 years. [72]
Designated Communities
Non-Designated Communities - may be active or inactive
One of the three original "Main Street Project" communities was in Hot Springs, South Dakota, from 1977-1979. As of 2021, however, there are no Main Street America designated programs in South Dakota, nor is there an active state coordinating program. Of the downtowns in South Dakota some follow the Main Street Approach, while others are a downtown association or chamber of commerce format. [75]
Non-Designated Communities
After the "Main Street Project" concluded in 1979, Texas one was one of the first six states selected for establishment of a statewide coordinating program. Texas Main Street was established under the Texas Historical Commission and based in Austin, Texas. [79] In 1981, Seguin received a "Resource Team" that spent a week with business and civic leaders, bankers, elected officials, and the newly appointed Main Street Manager. Over the next 3 years plans to rehab several building were aided by a low-interest loan pool established by local banks. [80] Anice Read led the program from the start until she retired in 1996. [81] As of 2021, Debra Drescher leads a 9-person staff serving 88 communities. [82]
No designated programs
Affiliated Programs
Today the state coordinating program is housed within the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation with Errin Welty as the state coordinator. [86]
Designated Communities
Other Communities
Cheney is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States. The full-time resident population was 13,255 as of the 2020 census. Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney. When classes are in session at EWU, the city's population reaches approximately 17,600 people temporarily.
Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is 16 miles south of Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settlers as a town under its original Native American name, Mattabeseck, after the local Wangunk village of the same name. They were among many tribes along the Atlantic coast who spoke Algonquian languages. The colonists renamed the settlement in 1653.
Congress Heights is a residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States. The irregularly shaped neighborhood is bounded by the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus, Lebaum Street SE, 4th Street SE, and Newcomb Street SE on the northeast; Shepard Parkway and South Capitol Street on the west; Atlantic Street SE and 1st Street SE on the south; Oxon Run Parkway on the southeast; and Wheeler Street SE and Alabama Avenue SE on the east. Commercial development is heavy along Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Malcolm X Avenue.
Whittier is a neighborhood within the Powderhorn community in the U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, bounded by Franklin Avenue on the north, Interstate 35W on the east, Lake Street on the south, and Lyndale Avenue on the west. It is known for its many diverse restaurants, coffee shops and Asian markets, especially along Nicollet Avenue. The neighborhood is home to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the Children's Theatre Company.
Minneapolis is officially defined by its city council as divided into 83 neighborhoods. The neighborhoods are historically grouped into 11 communities. Informally, there are city areas with colloquial labels. Residents may also group themselves by their city street suffixes: North, Northeast, South, and Southeast.
Charles Village is a neighborhood located in the north-central area of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It is a diverse, eclectic, international, largely middle-class area with many single-family homes that is in proximity to many of Baltimore's cultural amenities. Nearby are the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Homewood campus of The Johns Hopkins University, Olmstead's Wyman Park, the weekly Waverly Farmers Market, and the arts district, Station North. Homes are Baltimore brick and stone row houses, many dating from the 1890s. Running from downtown north is the historic boulevard, Charles Street, where Baltimore's Easter Promenade once took place.
Buffalo Central Terminal is a historic former railroad station in Buffalo, New York. An active station from 1929 to 1979, the 17-story Art Deco style station was designed by architects Fellheimer & Wagner for the New York Central Railroad. The Central Terminal is located in the city of Buffalo's Broadway/Fillmore district. Closed since 1979, several attempts to redevelop the site were unsuccessful. In February 2024 a new development team was formed to plan a reuse for the terminal.
Union Square Main Streets is a community development organization in Somerville, Massachusetts that aims to enhance the Union Square area's commercial viability through collaborative efforts in design, promotion, economic restructuring, transportation, and organization.
North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is the United States' largest statewide, nonprofit preservation organization with more than 8,000 members. Founded in 1973 by Mary Gregory Jewett and others, the Trust is committed to preserving and enhancing Georgia's communities and their diverse historic resources for the education and enjoyment of all.
Allen's Landing is the officially recognized birthplace of the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States. Located in Downtown Houston between the Main Street and Fannin Street viaducts, the landing encompasses the southern bank of Buffalo Bayou, the city's principal river, at its confluence with White Oak Bayou, a major tributary. Allen's Landing is located south of the University of Houston–Downtown Commerce Street Building.
Economic development in Milford, Connecticut, has increased the size of the city and added both opportunities and some congestion, which has created controversy.
Erie, Pennsylvania is the Commonwealth's primary access point to Lake Erie, the Great Lakes, and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The city developed first as a maritime center after the American Revolution, as a railroad hub during the great American westward expansion, and as an important manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. By the 21st century, electric locomotive building is all that remains of big industry, but smaller-scale steel and plastics manufacturers, as well as health care, insurance, tourism and recreation have emerged as Erie's new diverse mix of key industries.
Downtown Guelph is the central business district of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Wellington St. E. to the south, Woolwich St. to the East, Dublin St. to the west and Norwich St. to the North. Downtown Guelph is known for its distinctive limestone architecture and heritage buildings. Many of Guelph's historically designated properties are in or near the downtown area.
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline of Chicago Street on the north, also including the CHI Health Center Omaha. Downtown sits on the Missouri River, with commanding views from the tallest skyscrapers.
Capitol View is a historic intown southwest Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood. The neighborhood is 2.5 miles from downtown and was named for its views of the Georgia State Capitol building. Its boundaries include Metropolitan Parkway to the east, Lee Street to the west, and the Beltline to the north. On the south, the border follows Arden Street, Deckner Avenue, and Perkerson Park.
King-Lincoln Bronzeville is a historically African American neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. Originally known as Bronzeville by the residents of the community, it was renamed the King-Lincoln District by Mayor Michael B. Coleman's administration to highlight the historical significance of the district's King Arts Complex and Lincoln Theatre, amid collaborations with investors and developers to revitalize the neighborhood.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy is a non-profit organization "dedicated to preserving, revitalizing, and reusing" historic structures in New York state. It provides technical and financial skills to owners of historic properties. In the half century since its 1973 founding, the conservancy has provided more than $60 million in grants and loans.
Main Street is a metonym used to denote a primary retail street of a village, town or small city in many parts of the world. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in the central business district, and is most often used in reference to retailing, socializing, and the place to go to find "common" concerns.
Parkville is a neighborhood on the west side of Hartford, Connecticut. Centered on Park Street and stretching from the railroad overpass just west of Pope Park to the West Hartford town line, and Capitol Avenue to Interstate 84, Parkville is a densely developed, mixed-use neighborhood that is mainly working-class. Its name is derived from its placement at the junction of the North and South Branches of the now-subterranean Park River. Most of the eastern half of the neighborhood was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.