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. The Center serves as the state’s coordinating program, and has provided design services for façade improvement plans for 36 years. The UNCG collaboration allows the Center to now offer communities an expanded menu of services such as upper-story schematic designs for residential development, educational programs for Main Street Directors to improve retail store layout, and façade improvement plans. The goal is to help small and medium size cities make solid building design decisions, while creating vibrancy in downtown.

We knew that we wanted to expand the design services that we offered, and finding a partner that shared the understanding and enthusiasm for historic preservation was our primary goal. North Carolina has a number of design schools located within the University of North Carolina system, and developing a partnership between a state agency and a university department was a natural collaboration. The department’s emphasis on historic preservation really set UNCG apart from other programs and potential partners in the state.

The UNCG Department of Interior Architecture efforts are led by Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll, AIA, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies. Leimenstoll served as the state’s first Main Street architect in the early 1980s before taking a position at UNCG, and now oversees a group of “Main Street Fellows” made up of graduate and upper-level undergraduate students. “The partnership offers our students an amazing opportunity for community engagement and to see how their designs can make a difference in downtowns across the state,” said Leimenstoll.

The Center has contracted with UNCG for three years. Each year the students will complete 50-60 design renderings, four upper-story schematic design plans, and will offer several educational workshops.

Emily-Kate Hannapel (pictured above), a graduate student with the program, manages the students and keeps them on track. “Having the opportunity to work with the Main Street Program has been a tremendous learning experience. I've been able to utilize the historic preservation and design skills I gained in my graduate coursework, to do real-world work,” said Hannapel. “I've gotten to learn from and work with both Main Street Managers and small business owners. Seeing how historic preservation can be used as a tool for economic development will influence my future career plans.”

There are 90 Main Street and Small Town Main Street communities in North Carolina eligible to receive downtown design services and the local community response to the Main Street Fellow plans has been tremendous. Since March, the UNCG Main Street Fellows have completed 35 high quality façade improvement plans, three upper story schematic plans for residential development, and led two workshops.

In Edenton, North Carolina, the student team worked with Jennifer Harriss, Executive Director of Destination Downtown Edenton, Inc., to design an upper story schematic plan for 325 S. Broad Street. Harriss, a veteran Main Street director and Certified Main Street Manager (CMSM), utilized the services of UNCG to leverage interest with a downtown property owner.

                                          Exterior view (left) and proposed door design (right) at 325 S. Broad Street in Edenton, N.C.

“Working with the UNCG Main Street Fellows was just what Destination Downtown Edenton, Inc. needed to encourage upper story development. One property owner had shown interest in developing the second floor above his retail storefront into apartments and had even met with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), to talk about tax credits. Without architectural drawings, he could not get an estimate to rehabilitate the second floor. The UNCG Fellows were enthusiastic and professional. They listened to the property owner and met with SHPO to insure that the plans met the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The plans that they produced were very well done. Because of North Carolina Main Street and UNCG’s Main Street Fellows, downtown Edenton will soon be experiencing an upper story development that will have a positive impact on our community for years to come,” said Harriss. 

                                                                 Proposed second floor plan for 325 S. Broad Street in Edenton, N.C.

In Elkin, North Carolina, Laura Gaylord, Main Street & Community Manager with the Town of Elkin, worked with the Main Street Fellows on two façade improvement plans. 231 W. Main Street, an 1870 Victorian Revival cottage was originally built as the Elkin and Alleghany Railroad Office, yet has housed many businesses through the years. The interior was under construction back in the summer for a new use, and UNCG did the design work for the exterior improvements designed to enhance the Victorian architectural details. The exterior improvements were completed this fall.

                                                             Before (left) and proposed design (right) for 231 W. Main Street in Elkin, N.C.

231 W. Main Street after restoration.

Since 1980, the North Carolina Main Street program has generated $2.3 billion in private and public investment in downtown.

Since 2008, Liz Parham has served as the Director of the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center in the North Carolina Department of Commerce, where she oversees the North Carolina Main Street, Small Town Main Street and the Rural Planning programs. She also oversees the administration of the Main Street Solutions Fund program, a small business grant and technical assistance program, and the Downtown Redevelopment Fund, a loan program to address issues with downtown facilities meeting the building code. Liz has 30 years of experience in the field of downtown revitalization, having previously managed downtown revitalization programs in five cities.