Main Spotlight: Breaking Barriers to Acquiring Commercial Properties
Creating real change in business ownership starts with local communities leading the way, backed by strong partnerships and collaborations.
Last month, the National Main Street Center announced the launch of Partners in Preservation: Main Street, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Express, and National Geographic. From community gathering spaces to retail incubators, from small towns to big cities – this year’s projects and communities are a testament to the diversity of Main Streets across the country.
Neighborhood Commercial Corridors or Main Streets often are the economic engine of neighborhoods and have played a role in creating jobs, building community wealth, serving as gathering places for local community residents and in some cases a safe place for people of diverse backgrounds to shop. These corridors are places where residents feel a strong sense of inclusion, pride, and support of the local small business economy and they are often cater to an array of cultures and experience.
This year’s PIP program brings together a broad swath of projects including sites of significant historical value and buildings whose rehabilitation will spur opportunity for the district. Beyond preservation of historic structures, participants in the campaign are creating energy and enthusiasm from members of the community for long-term neighborhood revitalization. From a church turned business incubator to historic housing for auto workers, the diversity of these sites is held not only in communities or events represented, but also in the multiple voices and stories contained in each.
You can help decide which sites will be awarded $2 million in American-Express-funded grants. Show your favorite UrbanMain sites some love by voting once a day for up to five projects through October 26th at VoteYourMainStreet.org.
Seven of the projects that are a part of the 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign are located in urban communities where Main Street America and UrbanMain have worked or are currently working. Check out the projects and details on MSA and UM’s work in the project communities below.
Birmingham, Alabama – Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Photography by Branden Harvey, @brandenharvey
UM/MSA Work: In 2017, UrbanMain worked with REV Birmingham to implement the Main Street Approach in Birmingham’s Woodlawn neighborhood, helping the community find their own voice and position within a city-wide revitalization program.
Vote for the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church here.
Boston, Massachusetts – Roslindale Congregational Church
Photography by Brian McWilliams, @brianmcw
UM/MSA Work: In 2018, UrbanMain worked with Boston Main Street managers - including Urban MSA program Roslindale Main Street - to refresh their engagement with the Main Street Approach. The workshop was part lecture and experiential learning, utilizing Boston's north end commercial district as an example to apply tools learned as part of the lecture.
Vote for the Rosindale Congregational Church here.
Chicago, Illinois - Bronzeville Cookin'
Photography by Brema, @optic.legacy
UM/MSA Work: In Spring 2018, the 51st Street Business Association in Bronzeville was selected as one of two Chicago UrbanMain projects. Work in these communities will be the development of organizational capacity, the assessment of district needs and assets through a combination of community engagement and market analysis, and the creation of Transformation Strategies to guide the district's path moving forward.
Vote for Bronzeville Cookin' here.
Baltimore, Maryland - The Arch Social Club
Photography by Matt Steinberg, @mattytae
UM/MSA Relationship: UrbanMain will be working with Baltimore and its Main Streets - including Urban MSA program Pennsylvania Ave. Main Street - implementing the Main Street Approach.
Vote for The Arch Social Club here.
Danville, Virginia - Union Street
Photography by Branden Harvey, @brandenharvey
UM/MSA Relationship: Although this is not an Urban area, UrbanMain has provided services to this district. The Danville River District Association in Virginia invited the National Main Street Center’s Dionne Baux to present “Developing and Championing Cultural Business Districts,” a workshop for local stakeholders about the steps for developing a district that represents the breadth of cultural identities present in the area and their histories
Vote for Union Street here.
Salt Lake City, Utah - New Hope Community Center
Photography by Craig Hensel, @thecraighensel
UM/MSA Relationship: Since 2017, the UrbanMain team has been working with the Salt Lake City Department of Economic Development to implement two UrbanMain projects in SLC’s Granary and State Street districts.
Vote for New Hope Community Center here.
Pontiac, Michigan - GM Modern Housing Legacy Homes
Photography by Brema, @optic.legacy
UM/MSA Work: Working with Main Street Pontiac and Main Street Oakland County, Director of Urban Programs Dionne Baux developed Transformation Strategies, combining the community's input on their goals for the district with market analysis identifying opportunities for growth and positioning.
Vote for GM Modern Housing Legacy Homes here.
Each of the 20 communities in Partners in Preservation: Main Streets are planning exciting events and activities for Open House Weekend, which is scheduled to take place October 20-21. Participating communities across the country will be hosting events to engage the public in the campaign and showcase their projects. Check out the details here and don’t forget to #VoteYourMainStreet!
Related News and Stories
Main Spotlight: Building Partnerships for Main Street Success
Learn how Main Street America's work with the DOT's Thriving Communities Program is supporting transformative efforts with community partners like the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe.
Main Spotlight: How to Rehabilitate a Historic Building
Becky Axilbund, Executive Director at Main Street Middletown, MD Inc., shares lessons learned from their renovation of two downtown buildings.
Staff Spotlight: Celebrating Historic Preservation on Main Street
For Preservation Month, Senior Program Officer Lisa Mullins Thompson explores why preservation matters and how Main Streets can celebrate and protect their historic assets.
Nevada, Iowa © Main Street America
Main Spotlight: Stories of Hawaiian Heritage in Vancouver, Washington
At Fort Vancouver in Vancouver, Washington, Native Hawaiians played a critical role in the success of the Hudson Bay Company. Today, Vancouver’s Hawaiian history and heritage plays a crucial role in efforts to reenergize the city’s historic downtown.
Main Street and Preservation Policy: Understanding the Advisory Council on Historic Preservations Report on Federal Historic Preservation Standards
Understanding the Advisory Council on Historic Preservations report on federal historic preservation standards.
Toccoa, GA © Steph Maley
Watch: How Delta Dirt Distillery is Adding Spirit to Main Street Helena, Arkansas
In this video, learn more about the Williams’ family story, how the business is helping to revive downtown Helena, and the impact they’re having on a national level.
Main Spotlight: Building Upon a Civil Rights Legacy in Albany, Georgia
Learn how Albany, Georgia, recognizes their civil rights legacy and supports the African American community today.
Community Spotlight: Flood Recovery in Barre and Montpelier, Vermont
Kathy LaPlante shares her experiences visiting Vermont communities during their recovery from devastating floods.
© Tripp Muldrow
Main Spotlight: Getting Ready for the Unexpected with the Main Street Disaster Preparedness Toolkit
In honor of National Disaster Preparedness Month, we are providing some practical steps that Main Streets can take to prepare for the next, inevitable disaster.
© Adog
Main Spotlight: How Main Streets Can Preserve Historic Neon Signs
Learn the historic and cultural significance of neon signs, and strategies that Main Streets can use to preserve these unique assets.
A Match Made on Main Street: Channeling Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Dollars to Small-Scale Deals
Main Street America is leading a coalition urging that the EPA make available the GGRF funds for adaptive reuse and location-efficient projects because of the substantial greenhouse gas emissions reduction offered by such developments.
Main Spotlight: Celebrating and Preserving a Culture of Possibility in Allapattah, Miami
On May 9, the National Trust for Historic Preservation released its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2023 which included a cultural district located within a designated Main Street America community.
Miami, FL © NTHP
Main Spotlight: Mill Girls and the Iconic New England Mill
From 19th-century mill girls to Maine's mill redevelopments and the regional manufacturers of tomorrow, learn about the amazing history and promise of the New England mill.
Biddeford, ME © Heart of Biddeford
Main Spotlight: The Black Cowboy-Archeologist of Folsom, New Mexico
Learn the unique history of Folsom, New Mexico, and how they are working with New Mexico MainStreet today.
We Can’t Build Our Way To Net Zero
This article was published on January 10, 2023, by Next City, a nonprofit news organization focused on socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable urban practices.
Program Spotlight: Preservation, Salvage, & Reuse with the Minnesota GreenCorps Program
Learn how Rethos, the Coordinating partner for Minnesota Main Streets, has partnered with Reuse Minnesota and the Minnesota GreenCorps Program to encourage community-led preservation.
© Rethos
Main Spotlight: Four Steps Toward More Resilient Main Streets
Four recommendations that Main Street districts can apply right now to start preparing for the next natural disaster.
Main Spotlight: Is the Historic Tax Credit program a good opportunity for your Main Street?
Learn how Main Streets can partner with the National Trust Community Investment Corporation to take advantage of the Historic Tax Credit.
© Troy Thies
Main Spotlight: Sign Regulation
Ed McMahon shares recommendations and insights on how Main Streets can use sign design to improve sense of place on Main Streets.
Seeing the Glass as Half Full: Exploring the Reuse Opportunity for Houses of Worship on Main Street
Main Street organizations and other public-private partnerships can provide the focal point needed to fulfill the large number of roles required to reuse or redevelop a house of worship in a way that benefits the community.
Main Spotlight: Community Preservation in a Historically African-American Georgia Community
Learn about The Bottom, a historic African-American community in Thomasville, Georgia, and efforts to preserve it's history and share it's story.
Thomasville, GA © City of Thomasville
Community Spotlight: How Three New Mexico Main Street Communities Improved their Downtown Facades
New Mexico MainStreet partnered with Main Street America to utilize a NPS Main Street Facade Improvement Grant.
Gallup, NM © New Mexico MainStreet
Main Spotlight: Behind the Ribbon Cutting — The Merwyn Building
How do those amazing Main Street rehabilitation projects happen? And what policies and public support make them happen? In the Behind the Ribbon Cutting series, we look at a project or businesses from concept to opening day to break down the partnerships and funding brought to bear and recognize how we can advocate for policies and resources for revitalization across the country.
Astoria, OR © ADHDA
Mapping Main Streets: New Directions in Spatial Data
Main Street America's GIS intern shares the results of a project to map the boundaries of all designated Main Street districts.
Community Spotlight: Stories of Disaster Preparedness from the National Association For Latino Community Asset Builders
Main Street America welcomed the National Association For Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) to our Twitter channel to share stories of resiliency in Latino communities.
Community Spotlight: Disaster Preparedness in the Allapattah District of Miami, Florida
Main Street America welcomed to our Instagram Stories the Allapattah Collaborative CDC, a Main Street program in Miami, Florida.
Miami, FL © Allapattah Collaborative CDC
Main Spotlight: Preparedness Month on Main Street
We sat down with Lindsey Wallace, Director of Strategic Projects and Design Services and manager of the the National Park Service Main Street Community Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Program, to learn more about her perspective on disaster preparedness on Main Street.
Pandemic Recovery Efforts in Georgia: Progress on the Georgia Main Street Innovation Grant Program
To support Georgia Main Streets throughout the recovery process and position them for long-term sustainability, Main Street America launched the Georgia Main Street Innovation Grant Program, made possible through generous support from The Williams Family Foundation of Georgia.
Thomasville, GA © Thomasville Main Street
Main Spotlight: Improving Building Codes for Main Street
The Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) Main Street Task Force is working to increase education, compile examples and data, and provide recommended changes at the national level where necessary.
Community Spotlight: Historic Real Estate Finance Training
The Main Street America Institute (MSAI) partnered with the National Development Council (NDC) to offer Historic Real Estate Finance, part one of a two-course certificate program, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Community Spotlight: Annual Texas First Lady Main Street Tour
Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott joined Texas Main Street and Texas Historical Commission staff, management and Commissioners to welcome Temple and Pearsall into the 89-city Texas Main Street network.
Grants to Green Maine Channels Yankee Ingenuity to Reduce Energy Costs
As part of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta’s Grants to Green program, Maine was designated one of two national replication sites.
Determined Advocacy Preserves the Historic Tax Credit
After more than five years of consistent advocacy, the 20 percent historic tax credit (HTC) has survived the most significant rewrite of the tax code in more than 30 years.
Network Spotlight: Main Streets Raise Money to Help Hurricane-Affected Communities in Texas
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Main Street merchants in two communities in Michigan and Kentucky, as well as a fellow Texas Main Street community, jumped in to help their Texas colleagues.
Why Main Street Doesn’t See More Historic Tax Credit Financing and What Can Be Done About It
In the midst of this human and cultural disaster, the Main Street program, managed by the Ellicott City Partnership, collaborated with Preservation Maryland to provide a variety of disaster relief financing that helped expedite the recovery.
Partnering for Good Design
In 2016, the North Carolina Main Street & Rural Planning Center partnered with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Department of Interior Architecture (UNCG) to provide design assistance to Main Street communities.
Farmers Market Impact
In 2015, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) partnered with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to engage Wisconsin Main Street organizations and farmers markets in the Metrics and Indicators for Impact – Farmers Markets (MIFI-FM) toolkit.
National Parks and Main Street
With 413 National Park areas¹ and over 1,000 Main Street America programs, it’s no surprise that many of the communities following the Four Point Approach serve as gateways to our national parks.
Vermont’s Downtowns Build Back Stronger after Floods
Eight historic downtowns in Vermont turned massive flooding into opportunities to build back stronger than before the flood.
Storytelling & Community in Jonesborough, Tennessee
As living pieces of American history, our Main Street communities each have a story to tell. It’s up to us to bring those stories to life.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Historic Tax Credits: A Good Return for the Money
We measure the effectiveness of our last marketing campaign, weigh whether the investment in new street lights outweigh the political capital spent, and debate if the thousands of volunteer hours are worth the impacts created by a one-day event.
Improving Performance in Main Street Iowa Communities
Main Street Iowa, a program of the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center, created a one-of-a-kind three-year program to provide help for performance venues located in Main Street districts.
