Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Guest Column

Main Street put spark into Dade City

By PETE BROCK
Published April 11, 2007

The Dade City Main Street program, considered one of the crown jewels of the Florida Main Street program, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Here's how it all started, some of its accomplishments and keys to success.

Back in the mid 1980s, the business districts in many small towns in Florida were in a serious state of decline. There was a growing interest in improving the appearance and economic stability of historic downtown business districts. Out of this need came the Florida Main Street program, established in 1985 under the direction of the Florida Department of State's Bureau of Historic Preservation. It is a technical assistance program to encourage the preservation and revitalization of the downtown core of small cities.

Dade City was one of those small towns whose downtown was showing signs of deterioration. The freezes of 1983 and 1985 devastated the area's citrus industry, the long-standing economic base of the community, and began to affect the downtown. There were serious concerns about the future of citrus and a general lack of confidence by local merchants and owners.

Pat Weaver and Helen Brandt, two local business owners, heard about the Florida Main Street program and attended an information session on Main Street in Brooksville. Afterward, Pat persuaded two friends, Otto Weitzenkorn and Lewis Abraham, both community leaders and downtown stakeholders, to underwrite her attendance at a Florida Main Street conference in Orlando.

Pat came back excited and determined to have Dade City designated as a Florida Main Street City. She spearheaded a public meeting to present the program and secure the support of community leaders. The response was positive and enthusiastic.

The next step was to appoint an advisory board, to prepare a constitution and bylaws and to develop a proposal to seek selection as a Florida Main Street City. We had to have a concentration of older or historic commercial buildings, agree to hire a full-time downtown manager, establish an advisory board and develop a local program to bring about the revitalization of our downtown. All the criteria were met, including raising the necessary funding from private and public sources to launch the program ($30,000 at the time). Dade City was selected as a Main Street City on its first try in April 1987.

We received a $10,000 grant and technical assistance from the bureau for the first three years of the program. However, Florida Main Street is primarily a self-help program and after hiring a full-time Main Street manager we set about developing local programs to revitalize the historical commercial core of downtown Dade City. These programs were and continue to be based on the Main Street approach that encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation.

During the past 20 years, under the leadership of eight Main Street managers, 14 board presidents, 20 boards of directors and countless volunteers, all of whom have contributed their time, expertise and enthusiasm to revitalizing downtown, Main Street has worked together with community leaders to bring about many positive improvements.

Perhaps the best example is the restoration of the old Pasco County Courthouse, now the focal point of downtown, to its 1909 appearance. This is a great example of how Main Street works with community leaders in both public and private sectors to develop consensus and to coordinate resources to make something happen. Main Street had a vision for this restoration, but it took community leaders, the Chamber of Commerce, whose building was on the property at the time, and Pasco County under the leadership of then-County Commissioner Sylvia Young to make it happen.

Another example is the building of the new county government building downtown. Originally, the county wanted to build it on the outskirts of Dade City but Main Street worked with the county, city and property owners to make it possible to build it in at its current downtown location.

The more than $5-million of private investment in downtown restorations like the Hogan Building (Gandy), the Centennial Building (Tatum & Johnson), and the Wachovia Bank (First Union) were key to encouraging the many quality building restorations and public improvements since.

Another key was the early downtown events like the Country Christmas Stroll and Halloween on the Square, which have enhanced the public image of our downtown and spawned the many outstanding downtown events we have today. Still another important element was the Williams Lunch on Limoges Restaurant, the magnet that draws so many people to Dade City, the other restaurants that followed and the early antique businesses, the first of which was Sugar Creek, which led to many more antique and gift boutique businesses. And, of course, a vital key has been the stable funding provided by the community and the city.

It has taken the hard work and the commitment of a lot of people along with contributions and sponsorship from public and private sectors to get us where we are today - a thriving economically viable downtown with an ample supply of quaint antique shops, boutiques and restaurants drawing visitors from all across the state of Florida.

The challenge in the future is to continue to find community leaders who have a passion for Main Street and its mission and for these leaders to keep the enthusiasm and the dreams that have taken the Main Street program to this point.

Pete Brock is director emeritus and a founding board member of Downtown Dade City Main Street.

[Last modified April 10, 2007, 23:07:08]