November 1990 - Laserfiche WebLink

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GUIDING DESIGN ON MAINSTREET _N___ Indiana Main Street 5th Annual Conference November 1 & 2, 1990 The 5th Annual Main Street Conference provided information on a variety of topics pertinent to historic preservation and downtown revitalization. The conference was divided between general sessions and concurrent educational sessions. Thursday morning began with welcoming remarks by Reid Williamson, President of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, and Lt. Governor Frank O'Bannon. The keynote address, "Designing Our Future: Why Preservation Makes Sense", was presented by Tom Moriarity, Senior Associate of Halcyon Ltd. In his address, Mr. Moriarity discussed the marketability of historic preservation to downtown businesses and potential clients of those businesses. He pointed out that suburban shopping areas are now being designed to resemble downtown centers. Thus, downtowns obviously are an area to which people relate. These downtown districts provided opportunities for investment protection and attraction, for small business incubation, and for community identity. He also pointed out that full-scale restoration is not necessary to attract attention; signage and graphics, when used properly, will also gain the attention of the desired audience. Mr. Moriarity stated that historic preservation is generally more cost effective in the long run than new construction, and that design evokes behavior in those who live and work downtown; people sense a vibrancy of old in "tired" buildings. The concurrent sessions attended include the following: Main Street Guides Public Improvements Effective Marketing Strategies for Downtown Improving Corporate Image for Main Street Organizations and Businesses Solving Certified Rehabilitation Issues Selecting Historic Paint Colors Main Street Guides Public Improvements discussed strategies used in Greencastle and Valparaiso for developing, implementing, and maintaining public improvements. Effective Marketing Strategies for Downtown discussed reasons for marketing your city (city involvement/pride, economic development, tourism, and to raise the expectation level of the citizens), and how to go about marketing. Both speakers mentioned that a business's logo should be its major investment.