Four Quick Thoughts on the Future of the Main Street Movement

I had a wonderful experience at the National Trust Main Street Conference, and was honored to attend a main street manager session on the “vision of the future of main street.” I wanted to share my thoughts online (and those that I shared at the session) in light of some of the challenges and opportunities facing Main Street over the next thirty-five years.

1. Main Street is leadership in economic development. There was much discussion in my session about “making the case for Main Street as economic development.” This included using economic development language and terminology like “dollars per job,” “leverage,” and “spillover.” This is important to think about, but we have to remember that the true power of main street is “do it today” economic development. Main Street succeeds where other economic development fails. The tools main street uses are straight-forward, direct, and approachable enough for small businesses to use today. My organization, the Tacony Community Development Corporation did a retail promotion along with a clean-up day that had an implementation window of about a week. These are not tax-credit programs with 50 page applications, projects that require an act of the general assembly, and technical programs impossible to administer with an office of one staff person. The four points and eight principles are excellent touchstones to guide a program forward.
2. Main Street should remember its bedrock values. Main Street thrives as an entrepreneurial, risk-taking, and innovative program. It’s flexible and responds directly to community needs to build “places people love.” These are historic, dense, community-driven downtown and neighborhood commercial districts. In recent years we’ve responded to different hot-button issues like whether or not Main Street was green (pre-2009) or how many jobs were created (post-2009) in response to different political and macroeconomic trends of the day. I don’t know what could be the next issues: immigration, millennials,  fuel costs? Who knows? But the bedrock values that ground Main Street are what should guide it going forward.
3. That National Trust Main Street Center should provide tools that can assist local programs get the job done. Software, templates, and easy tools that can make a program more effective should be researched and provided to member organizations. Cloud-based software and programs like littlegreenlight could make it easier to raise money, renew members, and evaluate program impact. The preservation economic impact calculator is another one. These are just some examples. Other tools include making data easier to use and available to program managers. We heard a lot of talk about “BIG Data.” What could be provided to help organizations track and review sales, employment, and trade data using CLARITAS and ESRI?
4. Main Street must think critically about the future of volunteers and volunteerism in America. Main Street was founded in the late 1970′s and early 1980′s a time when “good government” volunteerism thrived. Groups like the Lions, Junior League, and Jaycees flourished. Robert Putnam wrote about the decline of this social organizational structure in Bowling Alone. Research tells us that today’s volunteers aren’t looking for the types of indefinite commitments that defined organizations in the past. The committee system in Main Street is rooted in continuing commitment to an organization. But in an era with volunteers seeking “done-in-a-day” and “project based tasks” there may be a challenge to leverage volunteers with a committee-based system. Using volunteer job descriptions, “pop-up events,” work-study students, and task forces could offer a potential alternative. The growth of organizations like KABOOM! which build a playground in a day is reflective of this changing trend. Additionally some tasks which took a group of six people to do can now be done with just two or one with the growth of technology.

So who knows what Main Street will bring in the next 35 years. But I hope that the vision can be just as strong as its past. I was so honored to have the opportunity to share my ideas and vision for the future.

Gov. Chris Christie Proposes Privatization at Parks and Historic Sites in New Jersey

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey announced expanded privatization efforts at New Jersey’s State Parks and Historic Sites. After my recent panel presentation at the American Association of State and Local History about State Historic Sites and Policy Responses there has been increasing pressure on State-owned parks and historic sites to raise revenue and restructure operations. Some groups have expressed concerns about privatization.

Gov. Chris Christie announces privatization efforts at Liberty State Park

The Administration with the Department of Environmental Protection is looking to boost revenue and reduce expenses. Currently, combined operations cost the state $39 million, but the state only raises $8 million in revenue. That’s a recovery ratio of 20%. DEP announced “Our strategy will enhance the offerings at our parks by expanding services and amenities, resulting in an improved, sustainable visitor experience.” The use of expanded visitor services to raise revenue can add great new opportunities and ensure the continued operation of these important resources in light of significant budget pressures. Check out their full report here.

I’ll keep up to date with any future developments of this important development.

Arrowhead Museum Closing & “Kids Don’t Care About History”

I recently read this article on a museum closure. Unfortunately, some of the sentiments expressed by the owner of this museum are shared by many older volunteers, board members, and community members.  A privately owned museum in Washaba, Minnesota is closing because its owner has decided it’s time to close.

Photo from Winona Daily News

The museum was opened 26 years ago when he ran out of room to store his collection of guns, stuffed animals, and trophies.

Les and his wife, Shirley, will close Arrowhead Bluffs Museum next month after more than 26 years in business. While the lack of visits — and lack of young visitors’ interest — wore him down, he’s mostly closing because what began as a hobby became a full-time job.

The owner added “Kids have no interest in history. They pull out their phones and start texting right away.”

I hear this all too often. Volunteers, older community members, and friends state that young people just don’t care. Nothing could be further from the truth. When kids get a firsthand experience at frontier places like Old World Wisconsin or Lincoln’s New Salem the historical experience is compelling and personal. It’s hands on and authentic.

Unfortunately, while a personal historical collection of artifacts may be interesting to the owner, the wider appeal to kids may not be there. If these kids could go on a trip to Alaska, and the Arizona Desert I am sure they would be far more engaged than seeing dead stuffed animals on the walls of a “museum” secondhand.

What ultimately drives this closure is the truth of when the larger public isn’t as interested in the personal hobby as the owner or volunteer it is hard for some to reconcile. When people blame kids for not being interested in history, it doesn’t address the underlying truth that the experience being offered isn’t compelling, personal, or relevant to the young visitor. When young people don’t eat a certain dish at a restaurant the chef doesn’t say “Young people don’t care about food.”

Old World Wisconsin from http://mcgrathfamilyroadtrip2010.blogspot.com

Historic sites and societies have to work hard every day to craft experiences that are interesting and compelling to visitors, and the work is never finished. Ask any volunteer. Historic sites and societies should work to meet the public where they are, with experiences that are personal, relevant, and compelling.

AASLH Presentation: Policy Responses for State-Owned Historic Sites

I just returned from the American Association for State and Local History Conference in Richmond, Virginia, and it was a huge success! I was so excited to meet so many state leaders, staff, friends-of groups, and history buffs. You can view my presentation here. The presentation was a panel including the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Heritage Consulting Inc (Donna Ann Harris & Myself). This presentation looks at many of the issues facing state-owned historic sites and some of the ways states have looked to raise revenue, reduce expenses, and restructure operations. I will certainly keep you posted on any interesting developments.

South Street Seaport Museum Merging with City Museum of New York

The financially troubled South Street Seaport Museum is merging with the City Museum of New York. Like other seaport museums, the high maintenance costs and visitation statistics make sustainability a real challenge. Challenges facing Seaport Museums aren’t just limited to New York; here in Philadelphia the Cruiser Olympia was recently added as a real concern by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. That joins ongoing challenges at the Independence Seaport Museum. But that’s hasn’t deterred new ship museums, as the SS United States Conservancy launches another ship overhaul effort.

The South Street Seaport is Struggling

The South Street Seaport is an interesting story, as a pioneer historic preservation effort in the 1960′s that joined a festival marketplace project into the 1970′s. It was a pioneering urban redevelopment project with a variety of public and private partners. The story of shipping and trade for the development of major American east coast cities is an important one, but many of these seaport and waterfront historic sites are struggling for visitors, income, and relevance. As attendance has slipped so has investment, and deferred maintenance has grown substantially, greatly detracting from the visitor experience. On the Olympia, the problems are so bad that water actually drains out of the ship with the tidal action of the Delaware River.

As preservation efforts entered the mainstream throughout the 1980s and 1990s interest moved away from these waterfront destinations. And as shopping moved away from the “mall style” developments in the festival marketplace, and more towards traditional retail “Main Street” patterns, some of these festival marketplaces found themselves confronting vacancy, declining tenant quality, and lower rents. Moreover, some festival marketplaces like Pier 17 lacked the “authenticity” that is such an important part of today’s heritage tourism retailing.

Pier 17 was more like a mall, and doesn't provide the authentic retail experience for today's heritage tourist.

In Philadelphia, the Independence Seaport Museum finds itself outside of the visitor core, isolated by I-95. Many visitors probably never get to it because they don’t leave the historic core. The historic “boat basin” in Philadelphia (part of Ed Bacon’s Plan), was never really integrated into a “surrounding district” in the way the South Street Seaport is. The ships at the South Street Seaport function like architectural features in a high-quality stock of historic buildings, including Schermerhorn Row. It is very scenographic.

The merger of the City Museum of New York with the South Street Seaport is an excellent opportunity to bring new efficiencies, cost savings, and economies of scale to the Seaport. I won’t go into great length about the South Street Seaport Museum’s financial condition, as the New York times details some of the challenges in great detail here.

What surprises me is that the cross-subsidization between the real estate and the museum was never really enough to sustain the effort. Ideally, the rents from the adjacent district should have cross-subsidized the operation of the museum. It should have treated the museum like a public amentity, a park for example. That never seemed to materialize.

I was reassured from these quotes from public officials who seemed to treat the museum as an important public amenity:

New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin, who helped broker the agreement — with Robert K. Steel, deputy mayor for economic development, and Seth W. Pinsky, president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation — said a reinvigorated maritime museum downtown would benefit the city. “The East Side of Lower Manhattan really needs a major cultural anchor,” she added.

Re-energizing the Seaport Museum is part of the city’s larger economic development effort in the area. “The Seaport Museum has always been the cultural heart of the South Street Seaport district,” Mr. Pinsky said.

The investment of $2 million dollars from the New York City Economic Development Corporation validates this treatment of the museum as an important public resource. Maritime heritage in East Coast cities is important. It’s the reason that Philadelphia eventually grew to be the second largest English-speaking city outside of London. This maritime heritage distinguishes these cities from others, and offers a unique visitor experience. These cultural resources and historic districts are an essential part of each city’s competitive advantage and historical niche. I hope that the Seaport Museum can continue to be the important fixture that is within the South Street Seaport Historic District.

 

 

Upcoming Presentation @ the American Association of State and Local History Conference in Richmond, VA

I’ll be presenting on public history and historic sites at the upcoming American Association of State and Local History Conference in Richmond, Virginia. Here’s some details from the firm website Heritage Consulting Inc on the two panels.

The American Association or State and Local History annual conference takes place in Richmond VA on September 15 and Heritage Consulting will present on two panels. This is an annual gathering of history leaders from across the country and we are delighted to talk about our work as we have done for the last six years.  This year we are speaking on panels with two different clients on what we think are two very significant projects.

For the last six months we have worked closely with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency on a nationally significant, grant funded project called State Policy Responses for State Owned Historic Sites. At AASLH we will discuss our national research for the IHPA on a variety of state policy responses for states, with a focus on historic sites. Many are facing unprecedented budgetary pressures due to the economic recession and corresponding state budget cuts. Alexander Balloon and Donna Ann Harris will be joined by IHPA agency Director Jan Grimes and Karen Everingham, an IHPA historic site staff member.

States have a continuing stewardship obligation toward their important state-owned historic sites, but many are facing unprecedented economic and political pressure to reduce hours, close sites or shift management responsibility to other entities. Our panel will highlight several of the more innovative actions taken by state governments across the country as states search for new revenues, cost savings, and operations restructuring. We will discuss a series of case studies we developed and specific projects for two IHPA sites: research on expanded programming at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Dana-Thomas House in Springfield IL and feasibility study of a vacant restaurant facility at Lincoln’s New Salem in Petersburg IL. Please join us if you are coming to Richmond. This session kicks off the conference’s educational programming for Thursday September 5 from 8:30AM-9:45AM. Attached are the powerpoint handouts. AASLH State Policy Responses presentation 2011.

Another session that was accepted for the upcoming AASLH conference is about our award winning public history project for Delaware County PA. This session is called Beyond Colonial: Expanding Stories, Promoting Revitalization. See a recent blog post on that session, as well as all the handout materials here. Check them out!

This panel includes our client for this project, Jill Hall, Senior Preservation Planner with the Delaware County (PA) Planning Department, Rich Paul, Chairman of the Delaware County Historical Commission, along with Alexander Balloon a consultant at Heritage Consulting and Donna Ann Harris. This project won the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia Preservation Achievement Award for 2010. Our session begins at 1:30PM to 3:15PM, please stop by if you are in Richmond. Contact us if you would like to learn more about either one of these projects.

In Scotland, Troubled House Museum Looks to Community

Across the Atlantic Ocean a troubled house museum is looking to its community for future direction.

Hunter House Museum in Scotland

The South Lanarkshire Council voted to close the house after facing budget pressure to balance the council’s expenses. The council voted to mothball the building and prepare for a feasibility study for community re-use. The planning process is promising. One member stated:

“We are preparing a feasibility survey how we could get lottery funding and realistically what we can do.

“We have formed a group and will look at different options as there are a lot of legal issues because it is a historic property but it’s a great opportunity for the museum.”

Here’s some news on the developing study. Here’s a survey on their new vision for the house.