Information is a powerful tool that is an essential ingredient for an effective downtown revitalization effort. This is why the Texas Main Street Program staff provides considerable training and educational opportunities and resources to its participating communities, especially in the areas of historic preservation, partnership development, organziational management, leadership and team building, and economic development. We hope the resources below will help you and your community in their preservation and downtown revitalization journey.
- Main Street Matters, a monthly newsletter from the Texas Main Street Program that spotlights various designated communities and provides technical advice
Main Street Jobs For information about career opportunities in Main Street or preservation please see Texas listings at the bottom of this page, or visit these sites:
Career Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and National Main Street Center
Job Openings page of this website for openings in the Texas Historical Commission.
Texas Municipal League. Main Street positions for programs housed within city government are also generally posted in the TML Career Center
Financing information
- Financing Methods for Downtown Revitalization (PDF)
- Texas Department of Agriculture: Although the annual application process for the 2017 Texas Capital Fund improvements program through the Texas Department of Agriculture closed on October 16, 2017, those considering future application will want to learn more about the Section 106 process of review. There is a grant specific to Main Street communities in the Texas Capital Fund. There is a helpful presentation on the process here. The Section 106 review process is a critical component of both the application process and the grant project that receives federal funding. The Texas Capital Fund focuses on slum and blight elimination and accessibility and is managed through the Texas Department of Agriculture. There is also a separate Real Estate and Infrastructure Development grant program, where applications are accepted monthly. All of these grants are for non-entitlement communities.
Main Street Design
Annual Conferences
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For more than 30 years, the Texas Main Street Program has partnered with the Texas Downtown Association on hosting an annual statewide Downtown Revitalization Conference. The next conference will be held in Denton, a Texas Main Street community, November 10-13, 2020.
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The national Main Street organization -- Main Street America -- holds an annual conference, Main Street Now, that draws thousands of Main Street professionals from across the country. The next conference is in Dallas, Texas, May 18-20, 2020. Main Street America also published a State of Main magazine in early 2017 that is part annual report and part industry journal on cutting edge techniques and tools for the field of Main Street revitalization. The Texas Main Street Program officially designates and accredits Main Street communities in Texas in affiliation with the national program.
Webinars
- In conjunction with the Certified Local Government program, the Texas Main Street design team developed a series of webinars to aid communities with building a strong preservation program. The topics include protection by designation, historic preservation ordinances, design guidelines and standards, certificate of appropriateness review, and preservation incentives. These webinars assist cities of all sizes in learning historic preservation best practices at the local level.
Many other preservation resources are available to you within this website that provide information on additional tools and programs, which are helpful to the downtown revitalization effort, such as:
- Certified Local Government
- Heritage Tourism
- Codes for historic buildings
- Standards and guidelines
- Preservation tax incentives
General Technical Design Resources
- The National Park Service (NPS) preservation briefs provide guidance on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic buildings.
- The General Services Administration (GSA) offers offers instruction on historic preservation technical procedures.
Main Street Jobs, Texas
Gonzales, population 7,200 and approximately 60 miles from both San Antonio and Austin, has been a Main Street community since 1988. Click here to access this job posting, or find it on the City of Gonzales website.
