Secretary Detzner Designates Lincoln Park as Florida Main Street Program of the Month

Recognizes organization’s contribution to preservation and restoration

Tallahassee, Florida –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner today announced Lincoln Park Main Street as the Florida Main Street Program of the Month for May 2012. The selection for this award is based on the Lincoln Park program’s involvement and active participation in the Florida Main Street Program.

“Lincoln Park is a culturally and historically rich Main Street community,” said Secretary Detzner. “Through the tremendous efforts of the program’s leadership, Lincoln Park Main Street has developed impressive events and offered invaluable support to the businesses in their community.”

Lincoln Park is a district within the city of Fort Pierce. As the city expanded, a settlement called Edgartown emerged. Edgartown itself grew and as more families moved into the area, the community developed a bustling commercial district. In the 1920s and 30s, families and businesses who moved to the area found success along the Avenue D corridor, which soon became the economic heart of the area now known as Lincoln Park. Family-owned businesses such as barber shops, grocery stores, churches, restaurants and a movie theater became the economic and cultural foundation for a predominantly African American community.

Though Lincoln Park continues to be a vibrant community, there was a period of time between the 1960s and 1990s when the local economy was in decline. However, the local residents’ revitalization efforts, such as streetscape and infrastructure projects, along with the removal of substandard housing units, helped encourage businesses to return to the area. In recent years, Lincoln Park Main Street has made many more great strides and has continued to invest in its downtown. There have been façade improvements completed along the Avenue D corridor; a groundbreaking of a new Intermodal Bus Terminal, and the reopening of Moore’s Creek Linear Park. Lincoln Park Main Street orchestrated a neighborhood cleanup of Moore’s Creek Linear Park, and those efforts culminated in a revitalization of the area where events like Jazz of Moore’s Creek, featuring jazz musicians and Highwaymen artists, now take place.

The Florida Main Street Program designated Lincoln Park a Main Street Community in 2006. As a Florida Main Street Community, Lincoln Park has attracted a net gain of 13 new businesses and 70 jobs, as well as investments totaling more than $11 million dollars in 34 public and private construction projects. Dedicated community members have contributed nearly 2,000 volunteer hours in their Main Street Program.

To learn more about Lincoln Park Main Street, contact program manager Pamela Carithers by phone at 772.462.2481 or email lincolnparkmainstreet@live.com.

About Florida Main Street

Florida Main Street is a technical assistance program of the Bureau of Historic Preservation, managed by the Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources. The bureau conducts statewide programs aimed at identifying, evaluating and preserving Florida’s historical resources. Main Street, with its emphasis on preservation, is an effective strategy for achieving these goals in Florida’s historic retail districts. Since 1985, the bureau has offered manager training, consultant team visits, design and other technical assistance, as well as the benefit of experience gained by other Florida Main Street programs.