Sheri Stuart (left) and Hazel Patton, Salem History Matters Show, 2019 November 21, 2019 Episode.
We are privileged to live in an area where preserving the multi-faceted tapestry of our history is important to us. This is especially evident in Salem's downtown core which was designated as a National Register Historic District in 2001. Recently, folks who are particularly concerned about maintaining a vibrant life in our historic downtown banded together to preserve and promote that area. Hazel Patton, with the Salem Main Street Association, and Sheri Stuart, the coordinator for Oregon's Main Street Program, appeared on our radio program to tell us more about this program and how it can help revitalize the historic downtowns of cities within our state.
We are privileged to live in an area where preserving the multi-faceted tapestry of our history is important to us. This is especially evident in Salem's downtown core which was designated as a National Register Historic District in 2001. Recently, folks who are particularly concerned about maintaining a vibrant life in our historic downtown banded together to preserve and promote that area. Hazel Patton, with the Salem Main Street Association, and Sheri Stuart, the coordinator for Oregon's Main Street Program, appeared on our radio program to tell us more about this program and how it can help revitalize the historic downtowns of cities within our state.
Launch Party for Salem Main Street Association, March 2016 [Photo: SMSA-FB] Hazel, a longtime community activist with a deep love of the history of our area, told us that a group of Salem folks who were passionate about the historic downtown area began meeting together a few years ago to brainstorm ideas to improve the vitality and vibrancy of the downtown and riverfront areas. For several years, there had been no cohesive organization to promote and advocate for the downtown core, and the merchants and property owners were feeling this void. So, in March 2016 these civic-minded folks formally organized under the umbrella of the Salem Main Street Association (SMSA), and chose the Main Street program as the best vehicle to achieve their stated goals.
The SMSA is currently comprised of four working committees. The Design Committee’s goal is to enhance the downtown’s visual appeal and its connections to the riverfront through aesthetic-forward design, while creating an inviting pedestrian environment. The Economic Vitality Committee works to strengthen the downtown as the regional shopping, dining, and entertainment center in the heart of the Willamette Valley. The Organization Committee’s goal is to develop a cohesive, strong, sustainably funded organization with downtown stakeholders working together to achieve tangible results. And, most visibly, the Promotion Committee works to create enticing events and marketing strategies to draw residents and visitors to experience vibrant downtown Salem.
| The Promotion committee oversees recurring events such as First Wednesdays and On Your Feet Fridays, among other pop-up events. One of their most recent events celebrated the businesses that have been taking over the downtown alleyways by promoting a contest to name the alleyways within the historic district's downtown core. SMSA reached out to the Historic Landmarks Commission for some historic background for potential names, and the public voted during downtown events this past summer. Eight of the nine designated alleyways were named, with the ninth name being determined by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to commemorate our Native American heritage. The City has installed sign-toppers on the street signs, and the alley names will be marked in the concrete being installed as part of planned upcoming street improvements. To read the HLC report, click here. To view a larger map of the alleys, click here. |  Salem Alley Days, June 2019 [Photo: SMSA-FB]  Map Courtesy of City of Salem |
[Courtesy of Oregon Main Street Program] Sheri Stuart advised us that the Oregon Main Street Program is managed by the Heritage Division of the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department and follows the protocol of a national program administered by the National Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. There are four levels of participation that communities may consider. State staff then assist them in setting up the organizational pieces, such as the formation of a nonprofit corporation, providing technical and grant assistance, and then follows them through the ensuing process.
Currently there are 91 communities all across Oregon participating in the program at one of the four levels. The graphic above denotes those communities participating at the higher levels. For a list of all the participating communities, check out their website highlighted above.
We are so very fortunate that a national organization expended the effort and resources to produce and promote a program that could be the very lifeline for our historic downtowns. If you know of a community struggling with its downtown viability and sense of place, share this information with them.
Currently there are 91 communities all across Oregon participating in the program at one of the four levels. The graphic above denotes those communities participating at the higher levels. For a list of all the participating communities, check out their website highlighted above.
We are so very fortunate that a national organization expended the effort and resources to produce and promote a program that could be the very lifeline for our historic downtowns. If you know of a community struggling with its downtown viability and sense of place, share this information with them.
Here in Salem, we are grateful for those in our community who have the desire and vision to investigate and then invest in these improvements that will mean a brighter and more secure future for our character-defining historic downtown.
To listen to the full recorded episode, click here.
To listen to the full recorded episode, click here.
~~Posted by Deb Meaghers
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