Last week I attended the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota's award ceremony in St. Paul. It was held at the St. Paul Athletic Club, a magnificent old building that was saved from demolition by one of the organizations' members. Here's a photo of the gorgeous interior ceiling in the ballroom where we had the dinner and award ceremony.
My daughter, Sarina Otaibi, is on their board of directors and invited me along. This organization is reaching out to greater Minnesota and already has a program in southeastern Minnesota based in Rochester. Their main role is to assist with restoration projects "The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota’s community development program, Sites Worth Saving, provides hands-on assistance for significant historic sites that face emerging and developing threats or ongoing challenges to their preservation. Through this program, PAM staff and volunteers support local efforts to develop preservation solutions and reverse the endangering circumstances. PAM assists by partnering with concerned local citizens to develop a strategic vision and action plan and then engaging in activities that build local capacity for preservation." You can find out more information on their website http://www.mnpreservation.org/.
This organization also manages the Minnesota Main Street Program, something I always thought would fit in our town but would take city wide support to make it a reality. Another option would be for Granite Falls to develop its own historic standards for downtown commercial buildings. These programs are usually just advisory and could be linked with the EDA's storefront grants. When you think of towns that are fun to visit like Lanesboro, Stillwater or New Ulm, they have a historic downtown which adds to their charm. Our riverfront location together with historic downtown storefronts would create a winning combination for tourists and local businesses.
This organization also manages the Minnesota Main Street Program, something I always thought would fit in our town but would take city wide support to make it a reality. Another option would be for Granite Falls to develop its own historic standards for downtown commercial buildings. These programs are usually just advisory and could be linked with the EDA's storefront grants. When you think of towns that are fun to visit like Lanesboro, Stillwater or New Ulm, they have a historic downtown which adds to their charm. Our riverfront location together with historic downtown storefronts would create a winning combination for tourists and local businesses.
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