Milton, Pennsylvania's
Main Street Program
The National Trust Main Street Center is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In the 1970s, the National Trust developed its pioneering Main Street approach to commercial district revitalization and is now in existence in over 1500 communities in 50 states. Milton was selected as a Main Street Community in 2004.
By recognizing the value and assets of older buildings, both singly and as a continuous historic fabric, the Main Street approach helps communities that are seeking to recapture a sense of history and create a more authentic small town environment.
The Main Street approach is designed to improve all aspects of downtown communities including economic development, public participation, marketing, investment in historic buildings, and invigorating old as well as new businesses.
Since historic preservation is a crucial component of the Milton Main Street Program, design issues and attention to detail are most important. Successful Main Street programs recognize the value of historic architecture as a first step in assisting the downtown to compete with other towns, regional malls and strip shopping centers.
The intent is to provide goods and services close to home and, in the process, to develop a strong sense of place and history that will restore economic health and vitality to our town.
Building facades play an important role in the appearance of the downtown. Storefronts, window displays, signage, color, canopies, and architectural details all come together and create a coherent visual pattern.
T.I.M.E. Mission Statement
The Improved Milton Experience, or T.I.M.E., is a community-based, non-profit organization that facilitates Milton's Main Street Program. T.I.M.E's purpose is to enact positive changes in the downtown business district by:
- promoting and sustaining local economic vitality through support and encouragement of cooperation between Milton businesses, groups and organizations,
- raising awareness of and encouraging preservation of Milton's historical architecture, and
- creating an inviting and vibrant profile of community sponsored and supported events and programs.
Site visits since 1/20/2008