Main Street Program
Florida Main Street
Program of the Month
July 2007 Community of the Month
Kissimmee Main Street
Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning Announces Florida Main Street Community of the Month
Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning announced today that Kissimmee Main Street has been designated the Florida Main Street Community of the Month for July 2007. Communities are selected based on their participation in the Florida Main Street Program. Kissimmee Main Street was designated a Florida Main Street Community in 1997.Kissimmee is a vibrant city of more than 60,000 residents well-known for its amusement parks and outdoor recreation. The city, incorporated in 1883, is also home to a thriving historic downtown that includes ample pedestrian shopping areas, rehabilitated original buildings, and numerous community events and celebrations. This September, Kissimmee Main Street will host the Florida Main Street 2007 Annual Conference and Awards Dinner.
"While Kissimmee is a popular destination for thousands of Florida's amusement park visitors, Kissimmee Main Street has successfully preserved the city's unique history and character ," said Secretary Browning. "Beautiful and welcoming downtown Kissimmee is a wonderful contrast to the theme parks, especially if you are looking for a friendly and scenic atmosphere to shop and relax."
Originally named Cow Town, Kissimmee once boasted the nation's only grass-covered streets. With events like the "Kowtown Festival," Kissimmee Main Street, along with the Downtown Kissimmee Area Council and the Osceola County Historical Society, has embraced the community's rich 124-year history and heritage as an agricultural and ranching center. Once the Spanish and most Native Americans left the area, the late 19th century pioneers in central Florida found the Kissimmee River valley overrun with "swamp cows." Today, contestants compete in the "Cracker Championships" to recreate the crack of the bull whips which give the Florida Cracker his name, and promote Kissimmee and Osceola County's unique history.
In addition to its emerging role as Florida's cattle capital, the city became a shipbuilding hub when developer Hamilton Disston dredged the Kissimmee River and established his office in Kissimmee in the late 1800s. For the next forty years steamboats chugged from Lake "Toho" (Tohopekaliga) and downtown Kissimmee, to the Gulf, and on to ports around the nation and Cuba. When the Dixie Highway opened in 1916, linking Florida with the rest of the nation, it marked the end of Kissimmee's steamboat shipping trade, the beginning of sprawl development, and the eventual dormancy∏then rebirth∏of downtown.
Since its designation as a Main Street community, Kissimmee has had 211 construction and rehabilitation projects totaling $12,304,615. Over 120 businesses have opened, creating 295 new jobs in the downtown. Volunteers have donated 7,680 hours of their time to meetings and events. Kissimmee Main Street also continues its close partnership with the Community Redevelopment Agency to facilitate both the preservation and revitalization of the historic downtown. The community maintains a steady stream of fun attractions downtown with Friday Off Broadway, held every fourth Friday of the month, and with the other "Off Broadway" themed events throughout the year and during holidays.
Kissimmee Main Street recently scored a major promotional success with their very well-received "Kissimmee Sculpture Experience." The innovative campaign is intended to bring beauty and art to the downtown and advance Kissimmee's place as the cultural center of Osceola County. An open-air gallery of 10 sculptures in a variety of styles, Sculpture Experience is attracting more visitors and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of downtown. The works of art will be on display until at least October 2007 and are available for purchase.
Florida Main Street is a technical assistance program of the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State. The Bureau conducts statewide programs aimed at identifying, evaluating, and preserving Florida's historic 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.
To learn more about Kissimmee Main Street contact Jessica Newman at 407.846.4643.
Florida Main Street is a technical assistance program of the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State. The Bureau conducts statewide programs aimed at identifying, evaluating, and preserving Florida's historic 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.
