Tulsa, OK – Kendall Whittier Main Street has been designated as an accredited Main Street™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.

“We are proud to recognize this year’s 889 nationally accredited Main Street programs that have worked tirelessly to advance economic vitality and quality of life in their downtowns and commercial districts,” said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of Main Street America.

“During an incredibly challenging year, these programs demonstrated the power of the Main Street movement to drive impressive local recovery efforts, champion small businesses and foster vibrant downtown districts. I am inspired by their hard work and confident that these accredited communities will continue to help their downtowns flourish in the next stages of recovery.”

In 2020, Main Street America programs generated $4.14 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 4,356 net new businesses, generated 14,988 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,488 historic buildings, and clocked 983,702 volunteer hours.

Kendall Whittier Main Street’s performance is annually evaluated by the National Main Street Center, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet 10 national performance standards.

Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building meaningful and sustainable revitalization programs and include standards such as, fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.

“Accreditation means that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing at Main Street. It means we are on the right track supporting the ongoing revitalization,” said Jessica Jackson Seay, executive director of Kendall Whittier Main Street.

Since the KWMS began in 2010, there have been 78 new businesses open in the district, which now boasts a 100 percent occupancy in Whittier Square. In all, Kendall Whittier Main Street (KWMS) has seen a total of 357 jobs created and $158 million private dollars reinvested.

“But the most important thing is the time committed to improving Kendall Whittier. We’ve seen about 16,000 volunteer hours put into our mission to return the district to a thriving, walkable and welcoming community to live and work,” Jackson Seay said. “Time really is a person’s most valuable asset.”

About Kendall Whittier Main Street

Kendall Whittier Main Street is a nonprofit organization that inspires the ongoing revitalization and growth of a historic and cultural neighborhood in Tulsa, striving to transform it back to a thriving, walkable commercial district.

Kendall Whittier Main Street was named 2020 Great American Main Street by Main Street America and earned Program of the Year from Oklahoma Main Street in 2020. For more information about the Kendall Whittier Main Street, please call or text 918-633-1934 or email info@visitkendallwhittier.com.

ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for 40 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $89.57 billion in new public and private investment, generated 687,321 net new jobs and 154,435 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 303,836 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit www.mainstreet.org.

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2020 Great American Main Street Award Semifinalist

 

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Certified Oklahoma Cultural District
Oklahoma Main Street
Main Street America Accredited Program