DOWNTOWN
Benefits
MAIN STREET
From the day Main Street Fort Pierce opened its doors
14
it was all about the future of the historic downtown.
As it heads into its 26th year, it is still on the same
path. “I think the door is so wide open for where
downtown can go,” says longtime Main Street manager Doris
Tillman. “Fort Pierce is such a very special place.”
Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson is in full agreement.
“They have done a lot for the city,” she says. “I see Main
Street helping the city in the future with its vision of downtown
and what it should become.”
Main Street arrived in 1988, when the downtown area, mostly
from
Organization
enters 26th
year helping
to revitalize
heart of city
BY SUSAN BURGESS
abandoned by retailers, was filled with empty buildings.
The few businesses that remained were kept alive by its busy
legal community. Rosslow’s clothing store and Sweet’s Jewelers
hung on along with a few others, but the historic theater had
long since shut down. Fighting to preserve the historic value of
the area while restoring its building facades and working with
the city on streetscaping, the fledgling organization took hold
and became a force for much-needed renaissance.
Tillman’s and the Main Street board’s efforts haven’t gone
unnoticed. In 2011, it took the top honor for Main Street organizations
in the country, winning the 2011 Great American
DOWNTOWN
>>
The 1985 Platts-Backus house was restored in 2007
by Main Street Fort Pierce to use for its offices.
WHAT IS MAIN STREET?
It is a nonprofit program meant to
revitalize a local downtown economy
through the use of local resources —
historic, cultural, architectural, local
enterprises and community pride.
More than 2,000 communities have
created Main Street programs. The result
has been $55.7 billion in reinvestment
in local commercial districts.
Source: National Main Street Center
http://www.preservationnation.org/
main-street
ED DRONDOSKI
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