Danville will receive a grant of $150,000 toward revitalizing two historic properties — 206 and 208 North Union St. — after finishing in the top 10 in a public online “Vote Your Main Street” campaign.
Danville accrued the eighth most votes of 20 sites across the country between Sept. 24 and Oct. 26 during the 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign. The top 11 sites will receive grants, it was announced on Monday.
Partners in Preservation is a partnership between American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Main Street America that supports preservation of historic sites.
The River District Association put together the North Union Street project proposal.
“We were up against some really large cities, and some truly historic and beautiful sites, working hard to earn votes online,” Diana Schwartz, executive director of the association, said Monday. “And not only that, to have the city experience the terrible storms and flooding and still be able to make this happen is more than we could have ever imagined. We are grateful to each and every person that took a moment out of their day to vote. It may seem like a small thing, but it really is what made the difference.”
The River District Association was organized in 1999 as the Downtown Danville Association. In May 2015, the organization was renamed the River District Association to complement the City’s River District brand and is an accredited Virginia and National Main Street Community. The office is located at 527 Bridge St, Danville VA.
David Bearinger, director of grants and community programs at the Charlottesville-based Virginia Humanities, worked with Schwartz through History United, based in Danville, to put the project proposal together.
With Virginia Humanities as an institutional home, History United works closely with a local advisory council and an on-site project coordinator in the Danville area to use local history as a way to encourage investment in the future of the Dan River Region and to build a strong collaborative network of organizations and individuals committed to positive change.
In addition to the two North Union Street properties in Danville, the 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets winning sites are:
- The Tabor Opera House, Leadville, CO
- The Women’s Building, San Francisco, CA
- City Hall Clock Tower, Biddeford, ME
- The Church of the Epiphany, Los Angeles, CA
- Bronzeville Cookin’, Chicago, IL
- Wah Chong Tai Mercantile, Butte, MT
- Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL
- Historic First Baptist Church, San Marcos, TX
- National Women’s Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls, NY
- The Arch Social Club, Baltimore, MD
Partners in Preservation is a community-based partnership created in 2006 to engage the public in preserving historic places. To date, it has committed more than $22 million in support of more than 200 historic sites across the country.
“We are pleased that such varied sites won grants for their historic preservation projects,” said Richard Brown, vice president of philanthropy, American Express. “From churches at the center of the Chicano and Civil Rights movements in California and Alabama to the birthplace of Women’s Rights in New York, these historic places located in the heart of America’s Main Streets highlight that our diverse history is deeply embedded in communities from coast to coast.”
Germonique Ulmer, vice president of public affairs, National Trust for Historic Preservation, said this year’s Partners in Preservation campaign saw a record level of engagement by both the sites and the public.
“The campaign’s success further demonstrates local communities’ commitment and support for Main Streets and celebrating our diverse history,” Ulmer said