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Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
Trabajamos en colaboración con miles de socios locales y líderes de base de todo el país que comparten nuestro compromiso de fomentar la prosperidad compartida, crear economías resistentes y mejorar la calidad de vida.
Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street
Formadas por pueblos pequeños, comunidades de tamaño medio y distritos comerciales urbanos, las miles de organizaciones, personas, voluntarios y líderes locales que componen Main Street America™ representan la amplia diversidad que hace que este país sea tan singular.
Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America
¿Busca estrategias y herramientas que le ayuden en su trabajo? Sumérgete en el Centro de Recursos de Main Street y explora una amplia gama de recursos, entre los que se incluyen nuestro extenso Centro de Conocimientos, oportunidades de desarrollo profesional, ofertas de servicios sobre el terreno, apoyo a la promoción y mucho más.
Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo
Su ventanilla única para conocer las últimas historias, noticias, eventos y oportunidades -incluidas subvenciones y programas de financiación- en Main Street.
Kendall Whittier - Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Únase a nosotros en nuestro trabajo para fomentar la prosperidad compartida, crear economías fuertes y mejorar la calidad de vida en los centros y distritos comerciales de los barrios.
Historic buildings before and after rehabilitation. © Main Street Middletown, MD Inc.
Main Street Middletown, MD Inc. was established in 2009, and when I started working here in 2011, I felt like most new Main Street Mangers feel — overwhelmed! So, what did I do? I returned to my roots: historic preservation. Through my passion for preservation, our organization successfully saved two iconic downtown buildings to create a Main Street office and a Downtown Welcome Center.
Middletown, Maryland, has a fantastic collection of historic properties that line the Old National Road (our Main Street, also known as the ‘Road that Settled the West’). We have a lovely linear district that showcases over 250 years of architectural history along a three-mile stretch. We began promoting Middletown as a great place for tourists to visit and experience the lovely architecture and soak in the history of the area.
A set of two small buildings have taken on a particular significance in our community. The larger building was constructed about 1873 and was originally used as a harness shop. The smaller of the two was a shed that was moved to its present location prior to 1900, according to several historic images showing the pair together. They now exist on a combined parcel. Both buildings contribute to the National Register Middletown Historic District.
When we learned that the owner was getting ready to retire and that he wanted to sell this iconic downtown Middletown property, we knew we had to take action. The small lot size and the condition of the buildings put them at high risk of demolition, and our Board immediately recognized the opportunity to protect these important structures. We decided to transform them into a Main Street office and a Welcome Center to encourage people to slow down and explore the downtown instead of simply driving through.
Downtown Middletown, Maryland, in the early 20th century. © Main Street Middletown, MD Inc.
Securing funding and purchasing the property were the easy parts. With excitement in high gear, we thought it would be easy to gather people to work on the buildings. The reality turned out a bit different! We learned a lot through this process, and we encourage other Main Streets to consider these challenges before they embark on their own property rehabilitation projects.
Start with a Plan
Purchasing a historic building is a major feat for smaller nonprofits, and it generates a lot of excitement within the Board and in the community. It is tempting to jump ahead and just start painting! However, it is important to slow down and have a plan in place before you start working on the building. There are a lot of decisions to make.
We knew we were going to rehabilitate the exterior. We started with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. While they provide guiding principles for decision making, we found that there were many other things to consider. For example, it was very important to our Board to use local contractors as much as possible, and to select a rehabilitation approach that would maintain the historic integrity and rustic vibe of the interiors while also creating a professional appearance required for contemporary uses. We also needed to have a professional inspection for lead paint and asbestos before we could begin working. All of this required extensive planning before any work could be implemented.
We also knew that with such a small space, we would need to be strategic with the content we want to share in the Welcome Center. We hired a former National Park Service employee to create a Visitor Experience Plan, which examined the many expectations that visitors have when they enter the space and they ways we can address them, from creating exterior signage and different types of exhibits we may need to include to printed materials and small gift items that we can sell.
Having these additional goals and plans in place helped us keep our minds not only on how the exterior would look, but how the interior would function. This planning work helped us prepare tourism products as we entered the later phases of the rehabilitation. As a bonus, it helped with fundraising goals!
Don’t be Afraid to Pivot
We created a Building Committee within our Board that brought in folks from the Design, Promotions, Economic Revitalization, and Organization committees. After careful consideration, we decided to hire an external general contractor, who started by addressing the repairs to the foundation. This work was exciting and eye-catching — and it earned us more donations and made the evening news! Although the foundation work was a huge success, we realized during this process that we did not want to continue with this general contractor. It was an intimidating decision to change course, but the Board determined that it would be better for our project to find, hire, and work with local contractors directly and act as our own general contractor. Our takeaways from this experience: don’t be afraid to make changes, listen to your gut, and focus on gathering a team that you know you will enjoy working with.
Fundraising for the project. © Main Street Middletown, MD Inc.
Working on the buildings. © Main Street Middletown, MD Inc.
Budget, Budget, Budget!
Creating a capital budget felt like an impossible task. We knew the general items we would need (like wood, flooring, doors, labor to repair windows, paint, and new light fixtures), but putting all these elements together was daunting. We decided to base our budget on the estimates we received from several general contractors, but the quotes we received varied significantly. To make matters worse, the construction industry was still reeling from complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We decided to set some spending limits, and if an estimate came back that was more than 10 percent or more than $1,000 higher than our budget, the Committee would bring this up to the Board for a full discussion. This was tedious, but it helped us navigate a time when prices and labor were in such an unusual state of fluctuation and availability.
Although we are now successfully working in the rehabilitated buildings, we continually find additional items we wished we included in the budget, like rugs, a vacuum cleaner, and other supplies. Make sure to keep a contingency budget, and make sure to budget for “after-the-construction” incidentals.
Communication is Key
Be prepared to communicate often and answer a lot of questions! I did not realize how weather delays, contractor delays, and other scheduling issues would cause a ripple effect. To stay on top of communication, we implemented daily text messages and weekly progress emails. The daily text messages were critical for the Building Committee and the weekly progress reports kept the full Board up to date.
Pace Yourself
I am a historic preservationist and a die-hard Main Streeter, but the rest of the Main Street Board did not always share my exuberance for a hands-on historic preservation experience. My idyllic vision of my Board and volunteers working together on Saturday afternoons to pitch in was not a reality. Our Board members have families, jobs of their own, and while they are all-hands-on deck for a clean-up day or two, they did not want to spend every weekend working on the Main Street building. In addition, we still had to keep up with the rest of the Main Street mission-driven work that we do on a scheduled basis — monthly business mixers, writing e‑newsletters to the Main Street business owners, writing our monthly blogs, coordinating ad placements, attending the monthly Burgess and Commissioners Workshop, grant management, attending conferences, and creating and implementing promotional events. I had to learn to be more even keeled about the rehabilitation project and to continue to show equal enthusiasm for all our projects, even though the rehab was the most exciting for me!
Timing
There is never a good time to add a large project like rehabilitating two small buildings into a Main Street work plan, but there is never a bad time either. Sometimes we must respond to a need in the community. When you are done, you will be forever proud and will have made a lasting impact and investment in your beloved Main Street. It is worth it!
The completed building rehabilitations have brought new beauty and energy to the downtown. © Main Street Middletown, MD Inc.
We have already seen the impact this project has had in our community, and we encourage other Main Streets who are considering building rehabilitation to go for it. We hope you can learn from the challenges we shared to have a smooth and successful project as you save cherished downtown spaces.
Redevelopment Resources, a Main Street America Allied Member, is this quarter’s Main Spotlight advertiser. For more information about the services they provide to Main Street organizations, click here >
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
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.
Comprensión del informe del Advisory Council on Historic Preservations sobre las normas federales de conservación histórica.
Toccoa, GA © Steph Maley
En este vídeo, conozca mejor la historia de la familia Williams, cómo el negocio está ayudando a revivir el centro de Helena y la repercusión que están teniendo a nivel nacional.
Conozca cómo Albany, Georgia, reconoce su legado en materia de derechos civiles y apoya a la comunidad afroamericana en la actualidad.
Kathy LaPlante comparte sus experiencias visitando comunidades de Vermont durante su recuperación de las devastadoras inundaciones.
© Tripp Muldrow
Con motivo del Mes Nacional de Preparación ante las Catástrofes, ofrecemos algunas medidas prácticas que las calles principales pueden adoptar para prepararse ante la próxima e inevitable catástrofe.
Adog
Conozca la importancia histórica y cultural de los letreros de neón y las estrategias que pueden utilizar las calles principales para preservar estos activos únicos.
Main Street America lidera una coalición que insta a la EPA a destinar los fondos del GGRF a proyectos de reutilización adaptativa y localización eficiente, debido a la importante reducción de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero que ofrecen.
El 9 de mayo, el National Trust for Historic Preservation publicó su lista de los 11 lugares históricos más amenazados de Estados Unidos para 2023, que incluía un distrito cultural situado en una comunidad designada Main Street America.
Miami, FL © NTHP
Desde las muchachas de los molinos del siglo XIX hasta la remodelación de los molinos de Maine y los fabricantes regionales del mañana, conozca la asombrosa historia y la promesa de los molinos de Nueva Inglaterra.
Biddeford, ME © Corazón de Biddeford
Conozca la historia única de Folsom, Nuevo México, y cómo están trabajando con New Mexico MainStreet hoy.
Este artículo fue publicado el 10 de enero de 2023 por Next City, una organización de noticias sin ánimo de lucro centrada en prácticas urbanas sostenibles desde el punto de vista social, económico y medioambiental.
Descubra cómo Rethos, el socio coordinador de Minnesota Main Streets, se ha asociado con Reuse Minnesota y el programa Minnesota GreenCorps para fomentar la conservación dirigida por la comunidad.
© Rethos
Cuatro recomendaciones que los distritos de Main Street pueden aplicar ahora mismo para empezar a prepararse para la próxima catástrofe natural.
Conozca cómo pueden asociarse las calles principales con la Corporación de Inversión Comunitaria del National Trust para aprovechar el Crédito Fiscal Histórico.
Troy Thies
Ed McMahon shares recommendations and insights on how Main Streets can use sign design to improve sense of place on Main Streets.
Las organizaciones de Main Street y otras asociaciones público-privadas pueden proporcionar el punto focal necesario para cumplir el gran número de funciones requeridas para reutilizar o reurbanizar un lugar de culto de forma que beneficie a la comunidad.
Iglesia de Polegreen © Richmond Regional Tourism
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
New Mexico MainStreet partnered with Main Street America to utilize a NPS Main Street Facade Improvement Grant.
Gallup, NM © New Mexico MainStreet
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
Main Street America's GIS intern shares the results of a project to map the boundaries of all designated Main Street districts.
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.
Main Street America welcomed to our Instagram Stories the Allapattah Collaborative CDC, a Main Street program in Miami, Florida.
Miami, FL © Allapattah Collaborative CDC
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
As part of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta’s Grants to Green program, Maine was designated one of two national replication sites.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ocho centros históricos de Vermont convirtieron las inundaciones masivas en oportunidades para reconstruir con más fuerza que antes de la riada.
Como piezas vivas de la historia de Estados Unidos, cada una de nuestras comunidades de Main Street tiene una historia que contar. De nosotros depende darles vida.
El valor económico de la conservación histórica en Main Street.
Medimos la eficacia de nuestra última campaña de marketing, sopesamos si la inversión en nuevas farolas compensa el capital político gastado y debatimos si las miles de horas de voluntariado merecen la pena por el impacto creado por un evento de un día.
Main Street Iowa, un programa del Iowa Downtown Resource Center de la Iowa Economic Development Authority, creó un programa único de tres años de duración para ayudar a los locales de espectáculos situados en los distritos de Main Street.
