St. Paul is one of 25 designated Main Street communities in Virginia. It received this designation in 2011. Main Street communities are competitively selected.

The Main Street program was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the 1970s to save downtown districts from economic decline and physical demolition. After successful pilot programs in three communities in three states, the National Main Street Center was formed in the 1980s. The national organization's relationship with states is contractual.

While the Trust was interested in saving buildings, it could only do so by saving their purpose or creating a new purpose for them -- economic development in the context of historic preservation.

Virginia Main Street was the fifteenth state to become part of the program, in 1985. The program is coordinated through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

 

For the latest St. Paul Main Street news, events and more, visit StPaulMainStreet.org.