Since 1984, the Washington State Main Street Program has been helping communities revitalize the economy, appearance, and image of their downtown commercial districts using the successful Main Street Approach®. In 2010 the Main Street Program was moved from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation. The program is managed (under contract) by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.
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Main Street Advocacy
Interested in learning more about how Main Street is working? Download the Washington State Main Street presentation given at the Heritage Caucus in Olympa during Main Street Advocacy Day or the one-page statistics summary below:
New Main Street Network Tier System!
We are very pleased to announce the new Tier System for Washington's Main Street Network! This new structure will allow us to work more closely with communities participating in Washington's Main Street Network and better reflects the goal of giving communities across the state the tools to revitalize their downtowns and commercial districts.
Check out the new Tier System.
Click here to see the description of Program Services.
Affiliate Level
The purpose of the affiliate level is to provide access to resources and networking opportunities for community groups and individuals that have an interest in revitalizing their downtown or neighborhood commercial district, but may not have the capacity at this time to meet the Washington State Main Street Community Requirements.
To become an member of the network at the Affiliate level,
please click here to download the application.
Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program Level
The purpose of this tier level is to provide access to resources, networking opportunities and training to communities that have a non-profit organization dedicated solely to downtown revitalization. These communities already have a track record of success in downtown revitalization and are committed to following the Main Street 4-Point Approach® .
Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program Application.
Washington State Main Street Program Level
The purpose of the Main Street Community level is to provide access to resources, networking opportunities, training and advanced resources and opportunities to communities who have a non-profit organization dedicated solely to downtown revitalization. These communities have committed the necessary time and training to develop community support, financial and human resources, and are implementing the Main Street Four-Point Approach®.
We are not accepting applications for this level at this time.
Our two newest Main Street Communities
Gig Harbor
By Mary DesMarais, Executive Director of the Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association
The Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association is very excited to have earned our designation as a Main Street Community! This designation allows Gig Harbor’s downtown waterfront district to officially join a proven statewide and national program aimed at revitalizing the economy, appearance and image of traditional business districts. The Association was named one of the newest members of Washington’s Main Street Program during an awards ceremony on May 12 in Walla Walla, culminating three years of hard work toward this goal. GHHWA is now connected to 11 other Washington State Main Street communities as well as to a comprehensive package of downtown revitalization guidelines and resources established by the National Main Street Center.
“This is a proud and encouraging milestone for our downtown community, and it comes at a time when so many in our town are working to rebuild and re-energize our local economy,” said Gary Glein, GHHWA's president. "The timing could not be better."
The Main Street program is an extensive commercial revitalization strategy that helps communities preserve historic buildings and districts, while developing strategies for continuous improvement in the vitality of the downtown. The Main Street Four Point Approach®, utilized by GHHWA and the other Main Street communities, is tailored to meet local needs, preserve the historic character of a community, and create economic opportunities.
The health of a downtown is at the very heart of the quality of life within a community. A prosperous, attractive downtown business district becomes a visible indicator of the well being of the entire community. We look forward to utilizing the expertise and resources of both the state and national programs to achieve the goal of a healthy downtown district.
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The Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association celebrates becoming a new Washington Main Street Community in addition to a beautiful new office space! |
Prosser
By Alisa Groenen, Executive Director of the Historic Downtown Prosser Association
The Historic Downtown Prosser Association is truly honored to have gained this designation. For over six years, thousands of volunteer hours have gone into making this honor possible. This designation is a symbol of how our downtown is vibrant. However, it is only the beginning in our downtown revitalization efforts. Becoming the eleventh Washington Main Street community allows us to take our program to the next level.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the businesses and individuals that have supported us, especially those that have donated so generously through the Main Street Tax Incentive Program. It is because of your donations that we are able to continue working towards our mission.
Thank you to the countless volunteers who have dedicated so many hours to the Historic Downtown Prosser Association. From all the volunteers that were involved in the beginning, over six years ago, to all the volunteers who now volunteer with the HDPA. This honor for Prosser would not have been possible without all of you.
We’d also like to thank the Washington State Main Street program for their technical assistance throughout this application process. We are looking forward to continue working with the state and national programs and the other Washington Main Street Communities.
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Alisa Groenen, Executive Director of the Historic Downtown Prosser Association and Board President Tiffany Wells show off their new Washington Main Street Community designation certificate. |