The Mississippi Main Street Blog

Downtown for the Holidays

Downtown for the Holidays will take place in Pascagoula December 7-8. View the flyer below for more information.

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Delta Wings Festival

National Trust President Richard Moe to receive award

Dear Friends of the National Trust,

 

It brings considerable pleasure to report that National Trust President Richard Moe will be the recipient of the ninth Vincent J. Scully Prize from the National Building Museum in Washington on Thursday, December 13^th. This is wonderful recognition for Dick’s extraordinary work in the field of historic preservation and is also an opportunity for the architecture and design community to hear of the role preservation plays in the revitalization and livability of America’s cities and towns.

 

The Vincent J. Scully Prize and endowment was established by the National Building Museum in 1999 to recognize exemplary practice, scholarship, or criticism in architecture, historic preservation, and urban design.  The award recognizes Dick’s leadership in moving historic preservation into the mainstream of American life and expanding the public’s understanding of the importance of protecting and celebrating our heritage.  National Trust Trustees Carolyn Brody and Paul Goldberger, along with National Trust Chairman Emeritus William Hart, will provide opening remarks. After the prize ceremony, Dick will give a presentation on how preservation is making a difference in the economic vitality and livability of communities by supporting smart growth and sustainability.

 

I hope that Trust staff, trustees, advisors and other friends who will be in the Washington area on December 13^th will attend the ceremony and lecture.  The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the National Building Museum, and tickets are available through the museum.

 

The Vincent J. Scully Prize was instituted in honor of Vincent J. Scully, the Sterling Professor Emeritus of the history of art at Yale University and a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Miami. For more than four decades his teaching and scholarship have profoundly influenced prominent architects and urban planners. Past recipients of the Scully prize include Vincent J. Scully, Jane Jacobs, Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, His Highness The Aga Khan, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Phyllis Lambert, and Witold Rybczynski.

 

An article from this morning’s Washington Post announcing the award can be found at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/29/AR2007102901730.html

I know you will join me in congratulating Dick on this extraordinary recognition.  If you have questions about the event, feel free to contact Tabitha Almquist (202-588-6116; Tabitha_Almquist@nthp.org) or David Brown (202-588-6227; David_Brown@nthp.org).

 

Sincerely,

 

Cliff Hudson

Letters from Lexington

LETTERS FROM LEXINGTON

by

Phil Hardwick

All books purchased before this Wednesday, October 31, 2007

will include a complimentary invitation to the publication party.

Publication Party

Tuesday, the thirteenth of November

Seven O'clock in the evening

Barrett Law Office

located in the

c. 1915 Historic Rayner Building

404 North Court Square

Lexington, Mississippi

Each copy of LETTERS FROM LEXINGTON is $20

This price includes tax and admission to the party.

Additional books may be purchased at the party.

If your book(s) need(s) to be shipped, please add $5 per book for S&H.

Each book will be an autographed, first-edition.

The publisher has informed LMS that there will be a limited first-edition printing.

Please indicate the inscription you would like Mr. Hardwick to put in each of your shipped books.

Lexington Main Street Association will be delighted to discuss bulk rates

with those parties interested in purchasing books for re-sale or for use as corporate gifts.

Gift Certificates are also available.

CONTACT:

Lexington Main Street Association

Post Office Box 25

Lexington, MS 39095

662.834.0053

662.834.1318

lexmainst@bellsouth.net

dmk47@bellsouth.net

www.lexingtonms.com

Lexington Main Street Association is a 501(c)3 organization.  All donations are federally tax-deductible.

The official registration and financial information of Lexington Revitalization Association, Inc. (dba Lexington Main Street Association)

may be obtained from the Secretary of State's office by calling 1-888-236-6167. 

Registration by the Secretary of State does not imply endorsement by the Secretary of State. 

November's Featured Community

Corinth, Mississippi

 

Corinth’s thriving downtown has emerged as a center for historic development, culture and recreation, business, government, and banking. Over fifty downtown apartments contribute to the excitement and identity of this sixteen square block area. Ongoing venue of community festivals and activities along with our numerous gift shops, apparel stores and unique restaurants attract residents and visitors alike. Private sector building renovation combined with newly renovated Crossroads Museum and Convention and Visitors Bureau offices add a steady stream of visitors to this State of Mississippi Historic District. New downtown infrastructure including a majestic freestanding clock, turn of the century light fixtures, cast iron park benches, landscaped street corner bulb-outs, indirect landscape lighting, new sidewalks and street development help grace this gem of a downtown.

Certification Institute Qualifications & Deadline Extension

Over the past few weeks we have received a few questions on the professional experience needed to qualify for the Certification Institute. We have determined that the 3 years experience required should be inclusive of all relevant community revitalization work, with a minimum of  2 years  in commercial district revitalization.

 

While the official deadline has passed for submission, we are offering a brief extension on the deadline to accommodate those who may have not submitted due this 3 year rule. So if you have managers in this situation, please pass along the new deadline of Tuesday, November 6.

 

Since coordinating programs are the largest source of certification applicants and in order to not cause great confusion, we are only promoting this through the coordinators. However, all future applications will have the new professional experience requirement.

 

Admission Criteria

Interested professionals must meet the criteria outlined below (Part I) and complete and pass the admissions exam at the end of this document (Part II).

1. Professional experience—The Certification in Professional Main Street™ Management Institute is designed to certify a professional’s ability to manage the revitalization of commercial districts using the Main Street Four Point Approach™. We require that applicants have direct field experience managing a commercial district revitalization effort.

Applicants must have a minimum of two-years experience either:

a. managing a commercial district revitalization organization or an initiative. The organization could be a Main Street program or another entity that is using a community-driven, comprehensive approach to revitalizing a commercial district; OR

b. managing other economic or community development organizations or initiatives. The National Trust Main Street Center will consider these applicants on a case-by-case basis.

The two-years of experience does not have to be consecutive or with one organization or initiative. However, professional experiences with multiple employers, when considered in total, must be on a managerial level and be comprehensive (i.e., involves work around all four points of the Main Street Approach).

2. Prior training in the Main Street Approach™ - The Certification Institute trainers assume that applicants have a basic, if not intermediate, understanding of the Main Street Approach. Participants who do not have command of the basics will find it difficult to participate in the training and pass the unit exams required for graduation. Prior to admission to the Certification Institute, applicants must have:

a. Successfully completed the Main Street Basic Training offered by the National Trust Main Street Center or by a

b. Completed similar training offered by a Main Street coordinating program.