MIDDLETOWN, Md., May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Main Street Middletown, MD Inc. has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of designated programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
2024 ribbon cutting for Main Street Middletown Welcome Center
Main Street America recognizes two tiers of national designation — Affiliate and Accredited. These designations are a powerful advocacy tool, signaling to local stakeholders, as well as city, state, and national funders, that a Main Street program has an established position within a nationwide movement with a 45-year proven track record of generating impressive economic returns, building local capacity, creating welcoming and inviting communities, and creating lasting impact.
“Main Street America is proud to recognize this year’s 821 Accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to building strong and vibrant communities,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve. The continued impact of our network shows that the Main Street movement remains a powerful force for positive transformation.”
Main Street Middletown, MD Inc.’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors, and Maryland Main Street Program through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards.
These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends, and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward. To quality for Accredited status—Main Street America’s top designation tier—communities must demonstrate a proved track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
In 2024, Main Street America programs generated $7.65 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,324 new businesses, facilitated the creation of 33,835 new jobs, rehabilitated 10,126 historic buildings, and logged 1.9 million volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, $21.73 was reinvested into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.
Main Street Middletown, MD Inc. closed out 2024 with a successful year seeing four new businesses open in our Main Street District, over $350,000 in grants secured for capital improvements in the downtown district, over 1800 volunteer hours logged, and the long-awaited grand opening of the Welcome Center.
The Welcome Center at 19 West Main Street has been a culmination of Main Street Middletown’s efforts to welcome and orient our visitors to the downtown. The project included the purchase, rehabilitation, and rapid expansion of our volunteer program to staff the Welcome Center. The leadership of Main Street Middletown Executive Director, Becky Axilbund, was recognized by Preservation Maryland awarding her the Tyler Gearhart Award in the spring of 2024.
“We are proud to be a nationally accredited Main Street program,” says Axilbund. “Main Street is a group effort and we greatly appreciate the work of our Board and volunteers. We value the partnerships we have with the Burgess and Commissioners, and other regional partners who have helped us along the way. And we are grateful for all of the amazing entrepreneurs who work in our community.”
ABOUT MAIN STREET MIDDLETOWN, MD Inc.Main Street Middletown is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the sense of place, quality of life, and economic vitality of the Middletown Community. We strive to bring together all aspects of the community – citizens, businesses, and government, as well as county and statewide partners to revitalize, preserve, promote, and support the historic downtown area. For more information visit www.mainstreetmiddletown.org
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICAMain Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, the Main Street Movement has resulted in $115.42 billion reinvested locally, 181,647 net new businesses, 815,895 net new jobs, 345,801 buildings rehabilitated, and 37.3 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
SOURCE Main Street Middletown
