MADISON MAIN STREET PROGRAM EARNS 2024 GREAT AMERICAN MAIN STREET AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION
Main Street America announced that Madison Main Street Program in Madison, Indiana, has received the prestigious Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA), which recognizes communities for their excellence in comprehensive preservation- based commercial district revitalization. The 2024 GAMSA honors, sponsored by The Hartford, were presented at the opening plenary for the Main Street Now Conference in Birmingham, Alabama.
Selected by a national jury of industry professionals and local leaders in the fields of economic development and historic preservation, Madison Main Street Program is being recognized for fostering a welcoming culture, celebrating historic preservation, and championing community collaboration.
“The success of the Madison Main Street Program is a strong testament to the classic Main Street model and sustainable change over time,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO at Main Street America. “Their fearless dedication to nurturing historic preservation and tenacious drive to find creative solutions is unlocking the magic of Madison.”
Founded in 1979 as one of the nation’s first three pilot Main Street programs, Madison Main Street Program (MMSP) has leveraged their community’s unique assets to create a downtown district buzzing with historic character, local pride, and over 270 locally owned businesses. When MMSP began implementing the Main Street Approach, downtown Madison faced many of the same problems impacting most rural Midwest towns in the late 1970s: the disappearance of residents and businesses due to urban sprawl. Over the past 40 years, MMSP leaders and partners have reversed this trend through community consensus and initiatives that balance historic preservation with forward-thinking ideas.
Madison Main Street Program’s commitment to historic preservation is visible through work plans that leverage partnerships with the community’s preservation organizations, historic sites, and local experts. For example, MMSP nurtures the safeguarding of historic structures through free preservation-based workshops and brings local history to life through their “This Place Matters” banners. Additionally, the organization’s Design Committee volunteers assist business owners with creating architecturally appropriate façades for their storefronts by researching and finding historic photos of their buildings.
“Madison Main Street Program isn’t just about revitalization: it’s about igniting possibilities and transforming aspirations into tangible realities for our community,” stated Austin Sims, Executive Director at Madison Main Street Program. “Our 40+ journey is marked by milestones and community spirit. While this recognition celebrates our past achievements, it is also just a glimpse into the journey ahead.
“Madison is the first Indiana Main Street community to earn the Great American Main Street Award in the last 25 years,” said Andrea Kern, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Indiana Main Street Coordinator at the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. “Madison Main Street is more than deserving of this recognition, with 40 years of proven success as well as pioneering the Main Street effort in Indiana and across the country.”
ABOUT MADISON MAIN STREET PROGRAM
Madison Main Street is a team of residents, business owners, property owners, and civic leaders working together to ensure that downtown Madison is a vibrant place to live, work, shop, dine, visit, and play. Madison’s Main Street commercial district is a vibrant community where people of all ages and lifestyles are choosing to live. History and heritage are revered, culture and the arts celebrated, historic preservation is a community commitment, and the National Historic Landmark District is a source of local pride. For more information, visit madisonmainstreet.com.
