May 5, 2020 | We Are Main Street: Celebrating Preservationists | By: Abby Armato, Communications Coordinator, NMSC |
Photo credit: Main Street Georgetown
Our We Are Main Street campaign is a year-long celebration of the people who make Main Streets shine. No time is more in need of celebrating that shine than now through the gloom of this pandemic.
In honor of Preservation Month, please join us in showcasing the people in your community that are working to preserve the spaces, cultural assets, and buildings that capture the history of your downtown district. Now, perhaps more than ever, these places become our touchstones: reminders of who we are, where we have been, and what we will strive to maintain through this crisis.
When posting, please use #WeAreMainStreet so we can amplify your stories across our social channels. We also encourage you to use the hashtag to let us know how your town is pivoting this year’s preservation celebration events to be virtual or social distance-friendly. For inspiration, check out ways the Main Street America Network celebrated Preservation Month last year. Many of the ideas are still applicable or adaptable.
We also rounded up a set of preservation resources, articles, and services that you can use to boost your preservation efforts this month and beyond. Check them out below.
Preservation Resources
Photo credit (left to right): Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation, NMSC, & Desireé Freeland
- Design in COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Join us for a new webinar from Main Street America about preservation and design during this pandemic. Mark your calendars for May 14th at 1pm ET.
- MSAI Course: Commercial District Planning: A good downtown or neighborhood commercial district plan can empower Main Street professionals to be intentional in how they approach design issues, from physical improvements to preservation and infill development. From the Main Street America Institute, Commercial District Planning is a three-part, on-demand course instructed by Nicholas Kalogeresis, a planning professional with over 25 years’ experience in planning for traditional commercial districts.
- Main Street Approach Design Handbook: The Main Street Approach Design Handbook is intended to help Main Street directors and community leaders implement a people-centered design process by exploring the issues that impact the physical characteristics of a downtown.
- Design Services from Main Street America: From preservation resources for design projects to people-first design to placemaking with the Main Street Approach, our Field Services team offers a range of design services that can be tailored to your community. We provide services through a variety of vehicles, including virtually via webinar during the COVID-19 crisis.
- Partners in Preservation: Main Streets: The 2019 Partners in Preservation campaign featured 20 sites that each highlight and raise awareness for the often-unrecognized contributions of women to American history and society. Learn more about these incredible stories.
- Virtual Preservation Month: Join our friends at the National Trust for Historic Preservation as they virtually unlock a new piece of history every day.
- Preserving Black Culture: Learn about the work being done to preserve Black culture from Brent Leggs, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
- Coronavirus Response: The Historic Tax Credit as an Economic Recovery Tool: Check out this recent webinar from the National Trust Community Investment Corporation, the Historic Tax Credit Coalition, and Preservation Leadership Forum discussing how the federal Historic Tax Credit can support revitalization efforts and those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
About this Campaign
If you haven’t already, take a look at the We Are Main Street webpage for simple steps (and inspiration) on how to participate in the campaign. It includes:
- A toolkit outlining monthly campaign themes;
- An online swag shop where you can purchase t-shirts, pins, tote bags, and more;
- Downloadable social media graphics and printable materials (includes postcard and photo frame!).