Shaw Main Streets is a Semifinalist for the 2016 Great American Main Street Award!

The National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has announced that Shaw Main Streets is a semifinalist for the 2016 Great American Main Street Award.  Ten Main Street organizations from across the United States are in contention for this prestigous award, which has only been presented to 55 communities since the awards debuted in 1995. The announcement of the winners will take place at the National Main Streets Conference, to be held in May 2016 in Milwaukee, WI.

Each year, the National Main Street Center recognizes exceptional Main Street communities whose successes serve as a model for comprehensive, preservation-based commercial district revitalization. These award-winning communities demonstrate exemplary achievement in the process of strengthening their downtowns and commercial districts based on five selection criteria:

      * Overall strength of the Main Street in creating an exciting place to live, work, play and visit;

       * Demonstrated success of the Four-Point Approach in your community;

       * Commitment to historic preservation;

        * Active involvement of Public and Private sector;

        * Model Partnerships–Participation of multiple groups, entities and individuals who have been involved in making Main Street a great place.

Earlier this year, Shaw Main Streets received one of the inaugural Innovation on Main Street Awards from the National Main Street Center, in recognition of their creation the Art All Night DC festival in 2011, and expanding it citywide in 2014. 

"It's a huge honor to be selected as a GAMSA semifinalist," said Shaw Main Streets Executive Director Alexander M. Padro, who has led the organization since 2003, as a founder and first Board of Directors chair and as executive director since 2004. "This is a tribute to the hundreds of Shaw residents who have volunteered countless hours of their time to moving our neighborhood forward; to the almost 200 businesses that have opened here during the past 12 years, and the others who preceded them; to the partners who shared our vision for a cleaner, safer, more prosperous future; and to the many sponsors and funders, including the District of Columbia government, whose financial support has made our efforts possible."  

“GAMSA represents the pinnacle of community achievement in the pursuit of downtown and commercial district places in which people want to call home, work, launch and run a business, and enjoy their leisure time," said Matt Wagner, NMSC Vice President of Revitalization Programs. “This year’s semifinalists stand as national models of how communities can thrive through innovative leadership, smart execution of revitalization strategies, and dedication to preservation-based economic development.”

The other nine 2016 semifinalists are: Audubon Park Garden District, Orlando, Florida; Bastrop, Texas; Covington, Kentucky; Dahlonega, Georgia; Grapevine, Texas; Howell, Michigan; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Tupelo, Mississippi; and Vicksburg, Mississippi.

More information on the semifinalists can be found at http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/main-street-news/story-of-the-week/2015/announcing-the-2016-great.html#.VhWFr_lViko

Shaw Main Streets is a designated DC Main Streets program and is funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor.