#VoteYourMainStreet through October 31 to Help Sweet Auburn Site Win Coveted Preservation Funds
October 3,2017
ATLANTA—During October, Atlantans and Georgians have the opportunity to get involved in an exciting historic preservation opportunity—and all it takes is the click of a button.
Sweet Auburn Works guides and encourages reinvestment in Sweet Auburns’ business and property development and protects the historic character of the neighborhood by following the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street approach. This month, the Bryant-Graves House in the Sweet Auburn historic district is participating in Partners in Preservation (PIP): Main Streets, a program celebrating the rich, vibrant heritage of American’s main streets.
The program features 25 historic sites on U.S. main streets competing for $2 million in preservation grant funding, as decided by popular vote. Sites with the most votes at the end of the voting period will each be awarded $150,000 grant to support their proposed project. Sweet Auburn is the only participating main street in Georgia.
If Sweet Auburn Works secures this funding, the Bryant-Graves House will become the Sweet Auburn Historic District Information Hub, the primary wayfinding and information source for visitors to the Sweet Auburn historic district. It will provide a physical site to promote the businesses and organizations that operate in the neighborhood and provide cultural context to the experience of the 1 million annual visitors to the M. L. King, Jr. National Historic Site.
The public is encouraged to get involved in the following ways:
• VOTE: From September 25th until October 31st, the public can vote on-line daily at www.voteyourmainstreet.org and cast 5 votes each time for Sweet Auburn and the Sweet Auburn Historic District Information Hub
• SHARE: Post the voting link to social channels to encourage public participation to vote for Sweet Auburn, and share memories and photos from Sweet Auburn. Use #VoteYourMainStreet and #KeepAuburnSweet on all posts.
• ATTEND: Sweet Auburn Works will host a free Open House on Friday, October 6 for the public to learn more about Sweet Auburn Works and the Sweet Auburn Historic District Information Hub project.
“Vote Your Main Street is a terrific opportunity for the community to rally around our efforts to ‘Keep Auburn Sweet,’” said Mtamanika Youngblood, Chairwoman of Sweet Auburn Works. “The Partners in Preservation program can provide much needed funding to support our preservation and revitalization efforts, so please, VOTE!”
The public’s participation will ensure this call-to-action is heard and that the Bryant-Graves House in Sweet Auburn has the opportunity to carry on being preserved and protected.
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About Sweet Auburn Works: Sweet Auburn Works (SAW) is a private 501(c)(3) organization comprised of community stakeholders whose mission is to Preserve, Revitalize and Promote the cultural and commercial legacy of the Sweet Auburn Historic District. SAW is the organization that guides and encourages reinvestment in Sweet Auburns’ business and property development, while also protecting the historic character of the neighborhood.
About Partners for Preservation: Since 2006, Partners in Preservation (PIP), a community-based partnership created by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has awarded over $19 million in preservation funding to more than 200 diverse sites across 22 locations. Over the past decade, PIP has increased public awareness of the importance of preservation and has inspired long-term support from local citizens for historic and cultural sites at the heart of their communities.
PIP is a call-to-action, a reminder to local communities to continue caring for treasured historic and cultural sites. This year’s PIP program will create broad-scale awareness of the connection between historic preservation and thriving main streets throughout the United States. Support for local historic sites and districts, drives development, preserves character, attracts visitors, and propels commerce.