Tuesday, May 13 2008

Resources and Links

From helpful web sites and funding sources to example projects from all across the state, the Texas Downtown Association makes it easier to pinpoint the right resources for your downtown.

Below is a list of resources, funding opportunities or example projects for your downtown revitalization efforts.

Web Library

Other
•	The League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT)	www.lhat.org
•	Texas Escapes	www.texasescapes.com
•	Texas Main Street Program	www.thc.state.tx.us
•	National Main Street office	www.mainstreet.org
•	Texas Heritage Trails Program	www.thc.state.tx.us
•	TTIA	www.ttia.org
•	Keep Texas Beautiful	www.ktb.org
•	Texas Co-op Power	www.texas-ec.org
•	SW Spirit Magazine	www.spiritmag.com

Federal Government
•	Census Bureau	www.census.gov
•	Environmental Protection Agency	www.epa.gov
•	U.S. Department of Commerce	www.doc.gov
•	U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development	www.hud.gov
•	U.S. Small Business Administration	www.sba.gov
•	FirstGov (index for U.S. government websites)	www.firstgov.gov

State Government
•	Office of the Governor	www.governor.state.tx.us
•	State of Texas	www.state.tx.us
•	Texas Controller's Office Windows on State Government	www.cpa.state.tx.us
•	Texas Historic Commission	www.thc.state.tx.us
•	Texas Commission on the Arts	www.arts.state.tx.us
•	Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)	www.dot.state.tx.us
•	Texas Department of Economic Development (TDED)	www.tded.state.tx.us
•	Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs	www.tdhca.state.tx.us
•	Texas Legislature	www.capitol.state.tx.us
•	Texas Parks & Wildlife Department	www.tpwd.state.tx.us
•	Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA)	www.orca.state.tx.us
•	Texas House of Representatives	www.house.state.tx.us

Associations
•	Amercian Institute of Architects (AIA)	www.aia.org
•	International City/County Management Association	www.icma.org
•	International Downtown Association	www.ida-downtown.org
•	Texas Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus	www.tacvb.org
•	Texas Festival and Events Association	www.tfea.org
•	Texas Electric Cooperatives	www.texas-ec.org
•	Texas Municipal League	www.tml.org
•	Texas Restaurant Association	www.txrestaurant.org
•	Texas Travel Industry Association	www.tourtexas.com
•	Texas Hotel and Motel Association	www.texaslodging.com
•	Downtown Research & Development Center	www.downtowndevelopment.com

Other Nonprofit
•	National Trust for Historic Preservation	www.nthp.org www.nationaltrust.org
•	National Main Street Center	www.mainst.org
•	Smithsonian Institution	www.si.edu
•	Preservation Texas	www.preservationtexas.org
•	Texas State History Museum (Bob Bullock)	www.thestoryoftexas.com
•	Historic Accomodations of Texas	www.hat.org
•	Texas Trails Network	www.texastrails.org/

Councils
•	Advisory Council on Historic Preservation	www.achp.gov
•	Council of Urban Economic Development	www.cued.org
•	International Council of Shopping Centers	www.icsc.org
•	International Economic Development Council	www.iedconline.org
•	Texas Economic Development Council	www.texasedc.org

Commercial
•	Museum	www.museummarketingtips.com

Grants
•	Anice Read Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas (Texas Downtown Association)	www.texasdowntown.org www.cftexas.org
•	Bank of America Historic Tax Credit Fund (National Trust for Historic Preservation)	www.nthp.org
•	National Grantwriters Association	www.grantexperts.com
•	Grant Writing Workshops (Friends of the Texas Historical Commission)	www.thc.state.tx.us
•	Challenge America Fast Track Grant program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)	www.nea.gov
•	State Grants Team Office of the Governor	www.governor.state.tx.us
•	Partnership Grant of the Heritage Tourism Program THC	www.thc.state.tx.us
•	Preservation Emergency Assistance National Trust for Historic Preservation/Southwest office	www.nthp.org
•	Save Americaas Treasures (U.S. Secretary of the Interior)	www.saveamericastreasures.org
•	Texas Courthouse Preservation Program	www.thc.state.tx.us
•	Capital Area Planning Council (Austin) grant watch monthly (pdf download).	www.capco.state.tx.us
•	Texas Parks and Wildlife Small Community Grants Program	www.tpwd.state.tx.us
•	Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). SAFETEA-LU authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 5-year period 2005-2009	www.fhwa.dot.go www.dot.state.tx.us

Publications
•	Texas Downtowner Newsletter of the Texas Downtown Association	www.texasdowntown.org
•	FedWorld (National Technical Information Service of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce)	www.fedworld.gov
•	Governing magazine	www.governing.com
•	The Medallion (Texas Historical Commision)	www.thc.state.tx.us
•	Texas Business Advisor (Controller of Public Accounts)	www.cpa.state.tx.us
•	Texas Highways magazine	www.texashighways.com
•	Texas Town & City (Texas Municipal League)	www.tml.org
•	Preservation Directory (Online public research tool for historic and cultural resource preservation)	www.preservationdirectory.com

Community Projects

To submit a project or program for this section: info@texasdowntown.org.

Depot Restoration, railroad projects (downtown)

Abilene Arlington
Garland
Mt. Vernon Old Depot Museum (1984 restored)
Quanah
Rusk
Temple

Lodging, downtown (bed & breakfasts, historic hotels, residences)

Austin Beaumont
Brenham
Dallas
Denton
Fort Worth
Glen Rose
Houston
Midland
Mineola
Nacogdoches
New Braunfels
San Antonio
Tyler
Waco

Master and Comprehensive Plans, Strategic Action Plans, Design Standards/Guidelines

Abilene Amarillo
Arlington
Brownwood
Bryan
Carrollton
Denton
Forth Worth
Gainesville
Georgetown
Glen Rose
Greenville
Irving
Lubbock
Plano
Tyler

Murals, downtown

Albany Amarillo
Athens
Austin
Belton
Breckenridge
Brenham
Elgin
Ft. Worth
Huntsville
Jasper
Lufkin
Raymondville
Tyler

Museums, historic, heritage and downtown historic theaters

Abilene Albany
Austin
Brenham
Corsicana
Denton
Granbury
Grapevine
Harlingen
Hillsboro
Kerrville
Lubbock
McKinney
Midland
Mt. Vernon Old Depot Museum (1984 restored)
Mt. Vernon/Franklin County Historical Museum (WPA)
Plano

Ordinances

Cedar Park (sign, parks, & landscape)
Corsicana (downtown maintenance & building rehab incentives)
Elgin (historic district)
Georgetown (sign design)
Granbury

Parks, downtown and pocket parks

Abilene
Arlington
Athens
Corsicana
Denton
Georgetown
Longview
McGregor
Midland
Mineola
Quanah
Raymondville
Somerville
Sonora

Public facilities (historic) renovation

Carrollton (city hall)
Elgin (city hall)
Kerrville (visitor center)
Mt. Vernon Bankhead Highway Visitors Center
Mt. Vernon Old Jail Art Center (circa 1912)
See the Texas Historical Commission website at www.thc.state.tx.us for information on the Texas Courthouse Preservation Program and Texas courthouses which have received funding.

Sidewalk and streetscape projects

Abilene
Amarillo
Athens
Ballinger
Brick & Stone Graphics (vendor)
Carrollton
Denison
Denton
Electra
Elgin
Fort Worth
Gainesville
Georgetown
Goliad
Graham
Lampasas
Mineola
Mt. Pleasant
Nacogdoches
Pittsburg
Post
Quanah
Rusk
Sonora

Transit/parking issues

Austin
Plano (transit village)