The Rosenberg Main Street Program has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the Texas Main Street Program and 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.
The state recognition and national accreditation recognizes the hard work of these local programs, and the value placed on their historic downtowns," said Debra Drescher, TMSP state coordinator.
"We are thrilled to honor this year's 829 nationally accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to preservation-based economic development and the revitalization of their commercial districts," said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center.
The power of Main Street shines across the country through these vibrant communities who have all worked to generate impressive economic returns, preserve community character, and celebrate local history."
In 2017 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.48 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,211 net new businesses, generated 30,294 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,737 historic buildings, and clocked 2.7 million volunteer hours. "The Texas Main Street Program continues to provide substantial return on investment to local communities across the state," said Mark Wolfe, THC Executive Director.
The Rosenberg Main Street Program's performance is annually evaluated by the Texas Main Street Program and the Texas Historical Commission, which work in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten national performance standards.
Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
Last year, the Rosenberg Main Street Program supported numerous downtown promotional activities and provided financial support for several downtown beautification projects and building restorations including the full restoration of the 'Fort Bend Hope Building' at 927 Third Street.
Fort Bend Hope Community Centre
In this project, the Main Street Program leveraged $11,850 in matching grant funds with over $150,000 in private development funds to restore a building that had fallen into a state of disrepair into a beautiful new Community Center.
Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.
Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $74.73 billion in new public and private investment, generated 614,716 net new jobs and 138,303 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 276,790 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.