A building at 319 Carrollton Ave. is the latest location to have its storefront facade redone with the help of Main Street Greenwood.
Twenty-two buildings’ facades in the historic corridor have been redone since 2009. The standards for the designs are based upon the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standard for Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings.
The Foundation for the Mid South gave Main Street Greenwood a donation for the project, although store owners must also come up with a good portion of the money. Properties on Johnson Street, Carrollton Avenue, Fulton Street and Lamar Street are eligible for funding.
Thurgood applied for the grant in an attempt to benefit and enhance the area, said Brantley Snipes, executive director of Main Street Greenwood.
“Facade improvement is a huge step towards the revitalization of an area,” Snipes said. “Facades draw both new business opportunities and new customers in our historic downtown.”
Next to the Howard Street Revitalization Grant and the Keesler Bridge restoration, the facade grant is the largest grant program offered by Main Street in its 17-year history, she said.
“We are really hoping to set a great example throughout the state by demonstrating the potential of downtown Greenwood buildings to house modern businesses while maintaining their historic character,” Snipes said.
She said the business owners along Carrollton Avenue and Johnson Street have been the backbone of the project.
The Greenwood architectural firm of Beard + Riser has done the architectural design and renderings for each project, and Vince Saia, Justin Nicholson and Johnny Sanders have served as the contractors.
Snipes also praised Marion Howard, president of Main Street, who has served as project manager for the revitalization.
“Marion has gone above and beyond to see this project through. We could not have achieved any of this without her hard work and determination,” Snipes said.
Howard said the grant “gave the property owners a chance to take pride in their property” and “gave the city an opportunity to attract new businesses.”
Greenwood is setting the bar for supporting a downtown area, Snipes said: “A whole corridor has been receiving grants, not just one or two buildings.”
Facade grants are still available. For more information on the program, call Main Street Greenwood Inc. at 453-7625.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
