June 21, 2018 | Community Spotlight: Annual Texas First Lady Main Street Tour

When the Texas Main Street Program was begun in 1981, one of the traditions that was started at that time was an annual visit by the First Lady of Texas to welcome the new communities into the Main Street network. Today, 37 years later that annual event continues. On May 1, to kick off Preservation Month, Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott joined Texas Main Street and Texas Historical Commission staff, management and Commissioners to welcome Temple and Pearsall into the 89-city Texas Main Street network.

Temple, with an approximate population of 73,000, is located in Central Texas. Pearsall, population 10,000, is in south Texas about 90 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. One of the traditions within the tradition of the broader event, is the First Lady’s unveiling of a rendering by the Texas Main Street design staff. (See photos.) They are typically the first set of technical assistance provided to the new program, and are intended to showcase possibility and potential. The Pearsall rendering provides suggestions for a block that includes the city’s historic Masonic Lodge. The Temple design provides illustration for an underutilized block that features a mixture of building styles and eras.

Thanks to Debra Drescher of Texas Main Street for sharing!