San Marcos Main Street Receives National Recognition for 2009 Temple, Texas –– The Texas Historical Commission (THC) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation recently recognized San Marcos as one of the 53 National Main Street Cities in Texas. The San Marcos program, managed by Kelly Franks for the past 20 years, has earned the national recognition since it was initiated in 1998. Cities selected as National Main Street Cities must show above average performance in 10 categories. The selection criteria focus on planning, staff and volunteers, preservation ethic, training and program assessment.

A Window to San Marcos A reflection in the window of the San Marcos Main Street office shows a bit of historic downtown San Marcos.

“A lot of hard work goes into achieving this recognition. Main Street communities exemplify the Texas mystique and this renition honors the many people, including Main Street managers and volunteers, who put in countless hours to make their Main Street programs work.  The result is an active and successful downtown revitalization effort that benefits not only the Main Street district, but also the entire community ,” said Debra Farst, state coordinator of the Texas Main Street Program.

National Main Street City Designation   The cities were honored at the Texas Downtown Association/Texas Main Street Conference in Temple. The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center also honored designated Main Street cities at the 2009 National Town Meeting on Main Street held in Chicago in March. For additional information, visit the National Main Street web site at www.mainstreet.org and the National Trust for Historic Preservation web site at www.nationaltrust.org. The THC’s Texas Main Street Program is a revitalization program for historic downtown and neighborhood commercial districts. It is based on a four-point approach — organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring, all within the context of historic preservation. Implemented in 1981, the program has assisted more than 130 communities throughout the state. For more information, contact Debra Farst at 512/463-6092.  The Texas Historical Commission is the state agency for historic preservation. The agency administers a variety of programs to preserve the archeological, historical and cultural resources of Texas. The website is www.thc.state.tx.us Nov. 14. 2003 Back to top