| In most of our small Texas cities, the downtowns are in a
serious state of decline. The automobile, suburban housing, and the growth of
local and regional shopping centers and malls have greatly reduced the
traditional role of Main Street as the principal center of economic activity.
Many government programs such as urban renewal and various city beautification
programs have failed to halt the decline of Main Street.
In the last 14 years, a new philosophy for revitalizing central business
districts has evolved. The concept is simple, rehabilitation of existing
structures capitalizing on the unique character of the buildings, coupled with
development of progressive marketing and management techniques. Preservation and
rehabilitation of historic commercial buildings provide the necessary image for
the downtown area and serve as a unifying factor to encourage area merchants and
building owners to reinvest in downtown. While this historic image can establish
the tone for the revitalization effort, a commitment to a full-time program
manager and utilization of progressive marketing techniques are critical
elements in the Main Street concept.
The Texas Main Street Program of the
Texas Historical Commission works to bring
this proven approach to downtown revitalization of towns across the state. Each
year the program accepts applications for official designation to the program
from the cities with populations under 50,000. Up to five cities are selected
annually. The cities are required to fund a full-time program manager who is
employed by the city and reports to the city manager. Cities under 5,000
population qualify for the program by employing a half-time Main Street manager.
In turn, the Texas Main Street Program works with each of these communities for
three years, providing start-up assistance and developing more local initiative
and expertise in the second and third year. Training and supervision of the
local program manager is provided, as well as professional assistance and
supervision in design, restoration, marketing, parking, and other areas where
the community does not have local expertise.
The Texas Historical Commission also provides a similar program for historic
commercial neighborhood areas and manageable downtowns of the cities over 50,000
population. Up to three urban areas are designated each year. These urban
programs are administered by a public/private partnership of the city government
and a nonprofit group.
The Texas Main Street Program has also begun to work with communities that are
not officially designated. If a community has a full-time program manager that
has been trained by the Main Street Program and meets other program
requirements, the community can be designated a "self-initiated Main Street
city." Self-initiated cities receive limited assistance in the form of
periodic Main Street staff visits, merchandising and display assistance,
participation in Main Street training sessions, and help in finding
professionals to provide required design, marketing, parking, and other
assistance.
The Main Street Program has resources that are available to any community in the
state. The Texas Main Street Handbook is available for interested cities.
Slide tape programs on a variety of subjects, such as building rehabilitation
and sign design, may be borrowed for the cost of shipping. The Main Street
Program also sponsors an annual conference on downtown revitalization as well as
regional workshops.
In the first 14 years of the Texas Main Street Program, more than $350 million
was reinvested in the downtowns of official and self-initiated cities, 2,669 new
businesses came to the cities' downtowns, and 10,002 new jobs were created.
These figures indicate that the Main Street concept of economic development,
within the context of historical preservation, works. It is the aim of the Texas
Main Street Program to have many Texas towns follow the successful models in the
Main Street network and take a renewed interest in the revitalization of their
downtowns.
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