Georgetown receives 2019 National Main Street accreditation

The City of Georgetown’s Main Street Program has been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center.

Each year, the National Main Street Center and its coordinating program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.

“In Georgetown, we are lucky to have our incredible board, volunteers and staff help us earn accreditation once again from the National Main Street Center,” Downtown Development Manager Kim Mcauliffe said. “It’s through their hard work and dedication that we are able to have such a robust program that is creating economic opportunities in our community.”

The Georgetown Main Street Program is a preservation-driven, economic development organization. In the past 15 years, the Main Street Façade & Sign Grant Program has awarded more than $469,000 to 80 downtown businesses and property owners. Most recently in May, the Georgetown Main Street Program presented Lark and Owl Booksellers with a $20,500 Main Street Façade & Sign Grant.

“Since 1981, many Texas communities have participated in the Main Street network and used its preservation-based framework to generate positive economic gains for their local economies and the state,” said Texas Historical Commission Executive Director Mark Wolfe. “These positive strides happen because of local commitment to prioritize historic downtowns.”

Accreditation is awarded to communities that build and maintain revitalization efforts, including fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.

Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.