Join us May 6 – 8 in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 Main Street Now Conference!
Register
Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.
Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street
Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.
Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America
Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!
Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo
Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.
Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
Over 1,000 people awaiting entrance to the library following the ribbon cutting on June 8, 2013.
I still get chills thinking about June 8, 2013, the day that more than one thousand people gathered downtown to celebrate the Lewiston City Library’s grand re-opening at 411 D Street. If you’ve ever been part of something that was years (even decades) in the making, met and exceeded all expectations, and brought people together through a common vision, you are fortunate enough to know that feeling of shared joy and triumph. As speeches were concluded, the ribbon cut, and the doors were open to the public for the first time, people’s enthusiasm was evident through their exclamations and even tears as they toured the marvelous facility. Our community finally had the library it deserved.
Since 1977, the Lewiston City Library sat on the edge of town on a busy street, connected to a bar called The Wooden Nickel. It was only meant to be temporary space, but it wasn’t until 1999 that Lewiston took the first step to move to a larger building, one better suited to hold its collections and growing demand for new technologies and community programs.
Over the course of the next decade, a library strategic plan was completed and the Lewiston Library Foundation was created to raise funds. With strong community support, the Library Foundation was able to raise over $1.2 million dollars in private donations. In 2007, the Foundation and the city council made a five-year deal in which the council agreed to set aside $200,000 each year if the foundation was able to match it. By 2010 the Library Foundation had enough money to begin looking at locations.
Architect Larry Kom and library director Alexa Eccles give Beautiful Downtown Lewiston board of directors a tour of the building.
Understanding the benefits of locating community facilities downtown, Beautiful Downtown Lewiston made a proposal that the library consider 411 D Street, a 50,000 square foot brick building located just a block from Main Street. After a feasibility study determined that the building was a viable option, the library board, staff, and foundation ramped up their campaign to make the downtown library a reality.
The library’s proposed move to downtown quickly became a community-wide debate.
Beautiful Downtown Lewiston had only been operating for two years, and Lewiston still remembered failed attempts at downtown revitalization in decades past. We were in the beginning stages of implementing the Main Street Four Point Approach and the community-at-large had yet to notice substantial changes. The vacancy rate was high, special events had yet to create enthusiastic followings and the number of blighted structures vastly outweighed rehabilitation projects. The library proposal was deeply tied to our community’s hope, or lack thereof, in downtown’s future.
City council meetings in early 2011 were dominated by the decision on whether or not to purchase 411 D Street. A survey of downtown stakeholders had identified moving the library downtown as a high priority for public funding. Beautiful Downtown Lewiston represented this interest by speaking at city council meetings that spring. At each meeting, we were alongside dozens of citizens who spoke passionately for or against the move. Opponents listed concerns ranging from specific issues like parking to a general disapproval of the city spending public funds on updating the library.
Exterior image of 411 D Street under renovation in downtown Lewiston.
We made the case that locating the library downtown would be the most convenient and safe location for the entire community. Located along public transit routes, just two blocks away from our river trail system, and close to major institutions like the college and hospital, it was easily accessible and in close proximity to other destinations. Furthermore, a library study found that the neighborhood with the highest percentage of library users was actually our historic Normal Hill neighborhood, which is adjacent to downtown. Upper floor residential use was increasing along Main Street and included the recent addition of a large dorm that housed over 100 college students. Beautiful Downtown Lewiston shared this information both with city council and with our own network, via our newsletter and social media sites, in an effort to educate and help dispel opposition to the library’s proposed move.
The library board, staff and foundation worked around the clock to build support for the new downtown library, and on April 25, 2011, following a more than three hour meeting, the city council voted to purchase 411 D Street for the Lewiston City Library.
The building price tag was $800,000 but the city was able to purchase it for $595,000 because of the generosity of the current owner, Bennett Industries, who donated the remaining $205,000. This is just one example of many private donations from local community members that made the new library possible. To date, the Lewiston Library Foundation has raised over $2,500,000 from close to 900 individual and business donors.
The foundation’s approach to fundraising was multi-faceted. Major gifts were sought through building long-term relationships. The foundation’s annual gala is successful due to a dedicated board of directors and a careful database of past supporters. They created programs such as First Edition Friend to capture smaller donations, which allows community members to sponsor a colorfully painted book. The foundation also promotes online shopping sites, like Amazon and GoodSearch, where a percentage of each purchase goes to the non-profit of your choice.
From Bolts to Books
A local firm, Castellaw Kom Architects, was hired in 2012 to renovate the historic building, which had been constructed and subsequently remodeled over the last 120 years. Erb Hardware occupied the space from the early 1900s until the 1980s when Cornerstone Interiors began occupying the space. Both the hardware store and the interior design business were owned by members of the Bennett family, which later donated a portion of the building sale to the library.
Left: Architects Larry Kom and Greg Castellaw Right: Lewiston City Library staff, board members, city councilors, and Library Foundation members
A major street rebuild of Fifth Street, which is immediately adjacent to 411 D Street and an important entryway to downtown, was occurring at the same time as the renovation. Both a challenge and an opportunity for the library renovation, Lewiston’s Urban Renewal Agency and Lewiston City Library worked together to coordinate the street rebuild and the library renovation. Beautiful Downtown Lewiston’s Design Committee was also asked to contribute streetscape recommendations to the URA, and then to coordinate and select significant number of public art pieces that were folded into the street rebuild. A library focal point fountain was commissioned by Lewiston-native Peter Goetzinger, and complimentary benches were designed by his wife Kelly Price.
The library was awarded a local Orchid Award in 2014 for Excellence in Historic Preservation and has also received statewide recognition for its outstanding renovation. Existing brick interior walls were cleaned and brought to new life; tongue and groove ceilings found during demolition were repaired; steel columns and beams were cleaned, exposed and repainted; and fir flooring was uncovered, cleaned, repaired, and refinished with great success. Castellaw Kom Architects took great care to reuse and repurpose wherever possible. In addition to serving our community as a highly functional space for the public library, the building is now an undeniable gem in our historic downtown.
The Library Our Community Deserves
The library has been able to expand staffing, programs, technology and available collections as a result of the move. The foundation is in the process of raising another $2,000,000 to be used for the second floor renovation, which will include a large meeting room, study, genealogy collection, roof garden, and more.
Left: Community members share the excitement of the new library at the grand opening celebration on June 8, 2013. Right: Finished renovation of the 1890 section of the building.
The numbers prove that the new building has benefited both the library and downtown Lewiston:
• The new library averages 13,000 visits per month, compared to an estimated 5,000 visits per month at the Thain Road location.
• The number of Registered Borrowers has increased by 85% in three years. New library users are at a record high.
• Average visit times at the library have grown from 15-30 minutes to two hours or more.
As a result of the thousands of people visiting the library each month, downtown cafes and shops are seeing more foot traffic and sales. Furthermore, it is an important example of public-private investment in downtown that we are using to recruit new businesses and residents to our community.
“Downtown Lewiston is blossoming, residents of Lewiston are proud of the library they worked 37 years to build,” says Alexa Eccles, Director of the Lewiston City Library. “The library’s renovation and move downtown is now widely held be the community as the most important and successful city project completed in the past 30 years.”
The downtown library is a destination for locals and visitors alike, an important partner in downtown’s growing cultural corridor, and a source of great community pride.
Breanne Durham has served as the executive director of Beautiful Downtown Lewiston since December 2010. Beautiful Downtown Lewiston is a 501c3 non-profit organization following the Main Street Approach to downtown revitalization.
REV Birmingham and Woodlawn United share how they work to reenergize spaces and places in Birmingham, Alabama, through civic infrastructure projects in the city’s historic commercial corridors.
Learn how this Louisiana town has used an accessibility-first approach to build a welcoming and inclusive community.
Downtown Ruston, Louisiana. Photo by Henry McCoy.
Learn how the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta uses this unique mural program to celebrate Valentine's Day and raise important funding for their work.
Learn how micromobility can increase access, equity, and inclusion in your Main Street with examples from local programs across the network.
This Washington Main Street is encouraging people to brave the rainy weather with their free umbrella share program.
Parking is a challenging problem for many Main Streets. We explored the arguments for and against free parking, and a method for conducting an inventory of parking in your downtown.
Miami, FL © Matt Alaniz
Learn how Bainbridge Island Downtown Association leverages their connection to the ferry to create a walkable and vibrant downtown.
Bainbridge Island, WA © Anna Carson
An innovative artistic project brings new life to the alleyways in Billings, Montana.
Billings, MT © Downtown Billings Alliance
In big cities and small towns, people face increasing danger when navigating communities on foot. As advocates for connected and walkable downtowns, Main Streets have a crucial role to play in increasing pedestrian safety.
Lansing, Michigan © Lansing 5:01
Learn how you can participate in the Thriving Communities program as a capacity builder or how you can receive support from the program.
To celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month, we explored three innovative and interesting parks-based projects and collaborations in Main Street communities.
Waterloo, Iowa, shares advice and lessons learned from their e-scooter program.
Learn how you can harness design principles and strategies to create a cooler, more welcoming downtown.
Main Street America was awarded $5.9 million to support 20 communities in the Main Streets Community of Practice through the Department of Transportation's Thriving Communities Program over the next two years.
The City of Leeds, AL welcomed a new downtown mural over the holidays that has brought a sense of excitement and anticipation for the continuing efforts to focus on the Leeds downtown district.
Leeds, AL © Jeremy Dove
What is more Iowan than turning grain bins into public art? Learn how Main Street Coon Rapids created these beautiful murals to celebrate their downtown.
Coon Rapids, IA © Main Street Coon Rapids
Pollinator gardens are fantastic ways to increase green space, promote sustainability, and educate your community on the local environment.
Crofton, MD © Kerry Kelly
The AARP Community Challenge program gives out quick-action grants to activate public spaces. Meet some of the Main Streets awarded grants through the program this year.
Learn how these outdoor microspaces can contribute to more vibrancy in our public spaces.
Chairman Emeritus Ed McMahon explores the power of place in creating spaces people love.
Boise, ID © christiannafzger
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
Intentional placemaking has had many unexpected benefits for this Alabama town.
Wetumpka, AL © Jenny Sue Stubbs
We heard from organizations across the nation about the incredible impact their markets have had on community engagement, entrepreneur and small business support, and keeping their district vibrant.
Mount Airy Downtown, Inc., celebrated the return of their Market Street Arts and Entertainment District (MSA & ED) last weekend, as part of their pandemic recovery efforts.
Mount Airy, NC © Robbie Curlee
A vacant storefront is the perfect stage to creatively promote the available space or to showcase other businesses and events in the area.
Ripon, WI © RetailWorks, Inc
Interested in creating a StoryWalk in your downtown commercial district? Read on to learn more about installing a successful story walking trail.
In remembrance and in honor of Dr. Marin Luther King Jr., over 900 streets in the United States were named after him. Many are located predominantly in African American communities.
Milwaukee, WI © Historic King Drive BID
Dubbed the Blues Alley, the Ripley Main Street program plans to install murals of local pioneering Black blues artists, cutout guitars painted by local art students, and blues lyrics painted on the walls.
Ripley, MS © Ripley Main Street
In October 2017, Main Street Ottumwa collaborated with local partners, Main Street Iowa, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Better Block Foundation to stop planning, talking, and wishing, and start doing.
Kelly Tompkins of Main Street Enid shares more about the Maker Trail project and how it inspired creativity and helped people discover downtown.
The Metuchen Downtown Alliance created a cool, family-friendly public gathering space in “the worst looking spot in town” with the help of just $2,500 in Edward Jones Placemaking on Main Challenge matching grant funds,
A collaborative effort launched between Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) and vertical farming company, Plenty, looked to blank downtown walls as a canvas for growing food, creating conversation, and activating overlooked spaces.
From walkability and transportation connectivity, to access to nature and availability of fresh food, place is inextricably linked to achieving positive health outcomes in rural America.
Beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower fountain through Main Street Paris's new Love Lock Fence.
Kasey Drummond, Glenrock Main Street Director, explains how they brought the acclaimed graffiti artist ARCY to their Main Street and explores the work he produced in three additional Wyoming communities on his summer tour.
Karen Dye, Newkirk Main Street's program manager, was inspired to “make downtown more fun and festive” with painted water meter covers after learning about the practice at a recent Main Street Now conference.
Appealing to mobility-challenged shoppers yields benefits beyond the store.
In contrast, the Main Street Program in Laramie, Wyoming, is thriving, having successfully cultivated millions of dollars to help fill these vacant, blighted spaces with permanent structures.
In this article we’ll explore the process of planning, funding, installing, operating, and enjoying music on your Main Street.
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.
Placemaking is a strategy that Six Corners Association has enthusiastically applied to our community development efforts because of its seamless integration with the Main Street Approach.
How one Wyoming Main Street implemented a free bike share program.
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.
The local Main Street organization, Downtown Milford Inc., is trying to address these shifting demographics by creating a more inclusive sense of community.
This is the story of how a National Endowment for the Arts gathering in DC inspired the leaders of a small town in Appalachia to connect with those in Milwaukee to transform a neglected park.
Main Street communities across the country are no stranger to seeking creative strategies to solve their most nagging issues – vacant buildings, marketing downtown, bolstering retail to name a few.
This article is the second in a series on corridors and the important role they play in Main Street revitalization. The previous article focused on the historic origins of corridors, corridor types, and functions that they serve in our communities.
Façade appearance is a critical aspect of the overall aesthetic appeal and unique character of downtown.
While the Main Street program may not take the lead in corridor enhancements, it can be a vital partner and advocate for improvements in overall community appearance.
Street pole banners preserve the historic character of main streets while fostering community awareness and engagement.
A lot of signs are necessary to make a downtown work well, but not every community knows what a good sign system looks like, or how instrumental it can be to the creation of a successful downtown.
A key goal of the Atlanta Streetcar is to attract investment to and revitalize the neighborhoods along the streetcar alignment.
