'Main Street' Alive, Well in Maryland

The 27th annual Main Streets Conference ended Wednesday in Baltimore, the only city to host the national conference twice and one among many Maryland cities that served as a "living laboratory" for urban revitalization, organizers said.

The four-day conference featured speakers ranging from politicians and community leaders to representatives from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and leading non-profit organizations.

The National Main Streets movement began as an effort to capitalize on the economic importance of locally owned business and sustainability, according to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

There are more than 1,200 Main Street communities nationwide, including more than 20 in Maryland. 

Dundalk, which received the designation in 2004, is unique among its Maryland counterparts. Dundalk is a community within Baltimore County, and is not an incorporated municipality, as is normally required to participate in the program. It is the lone Main Street town in Maryland that is not an incorporated entity.

Main Street communities use historic trust and other funding to revitalize commercial districts and strengthen civic engagement, according to the DHCD.

Among the highlights of the conference was a guided tour of landmark rehabilitation projects, including the modern performing arts center at the Hippodrome Theatre; East Baltimore's American Brewery Building, which now houses office space for Humanim, Inc., a service organization for people with disabilities; and a former clothing manufacturing plant that houses offices for Moveable Feast, which provides healthy, free meals to those suffering from illness.

These were a handful of the 267 historic tax credit projects that "have created jobs and revitalized neighborhoods" in Baltimore City since 2001, conference spokeswoman Erica Stewart said.