About Us

Pennsylvania Avenue was once the heart-beat of Baltimore’s African American Community, Forged with the crucible of segregation, the Pennsylvania Avenue corridor was a vibrant place of commerce, community, and culture. The adjacent neighborhoods were home to many of Baltimore’s greatest figures, from Thurgood Marshall and Cab Callaway to Billie Holiday. Pennsylvania Avenue is the unifying core of West Baltimore communities. A brand under which businesses can proper and grow. The New Historic Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street Program’s Five-Point approach, along with leveraging our local assets of cultural and architectural heritage, will help build a sustainable and complete community. Preservation and protection of our cultural resources of the past provides a legacy for future generations.

Structure

The Historic Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street Steering Committee and standing committees make up the fundamental organizational structure of volunteer-driven revitalization programs. Volunteers are coordinated and supported by a Main Street Manager. This structure not only divides the workload and clearly delineates responsibilities, but also builds consensus and cooperation among the various stakeholders. The Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street Program has established committees that align to the five points of the Main Street Approach—Organization, Promotion, Design, Economic Restructuring, and Clean, Safe and Green.

Organization Committee

Organization establishes consensus and cooperation by building partnerships among the various groups that have a stake in the commercial district and its revitalization process. The committee seeks to get everyone working toward the same goal. With this level of collaboration, the Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street program can provide effective, ongoing management and advocacy for Upton neighborhood’s business district. Through volunteer recruitment and collaboration with partners representing a broad cross section of the community, Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street is incorporating a wide range of perspectives into its efforts.

Promotion Committee

Promotion takes many forms, but the goal is to create a positive image that will renew community pride and tell the Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street story to the surrounding region. Promotions communicate Upton’s commercial district’s unique characteristics, its cultural traditions, architecture, and history and activities to shoppers, investors, potential business and property owners, and visitors.

Design Committee

Design means getting Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street into top physical shape and creating a safe, inviting environment for shoppers, workers, and visitors while preserving historic character. The Committee directs attention to all of the Main Street’s physical elements: public and private buildings, storefronts, signs, public spaces, parking areas, street furniture, public art, landscaping, merchandising, window displays, and promotional materials. Design activities also include instilling good maintenance practices in the commercial district, enhancing the district’s physical appearance through the rehabilitation of historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, educating business and property owners about design quality, and long-term planning.

Economic Restructuring Committee

Through economic restructuring, we can show you how to strengthen your community’s existing economic assets while diversifying its economic base. Successful communities accomplish this by evaluating how to retain and expand successful businesses to provide a balanced commercial mix, sharpening the competitiveness and merchandising skills of business owners, and attracting new businesses that the market can support. The Committee will also explore creative reuse of historic properties. Converting unused or underused commercial space into economically productive property also helps boost the profitability of the district. The goal is to build a commercial district that responds to the needs of today’s consumers while maintaining the community’s historic character.

Clean, Safe, And Green Committee

Enhancing and creating a vibrant Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street is the focus of this committee. Making spaces within the commercial corridor clean and green which leads to an inviting environment that is safe and encourages community gathering and participation.