Have you ever wondered what is on the upper floors of our historic downtown buildings? If so, you will want to be part of Main Street Greenville’s First Friday Upper Floor Tour on Friday, May 3rd to see and discover these hidden locations!
This self-guided tour will take place from 6-9 pm and will include 4 upper floor locations and 1 bonus location in downtown. Also, since it is "First Friday,” downtown businesses will be open late for you to shop, dine, and enjoy!
The Upper Floor Tours were created to highlight the historic buildings located in our downtown district and remind residents of the true magnitude of the buildings. “Our downtown buildings have so many fascinating stories of the lives that took place in and around them. The Upper Floor Tour allows people to see the spaces that are often closed to the public, and where the history of the buildings is often still visible,” said Crysta Hutchinson Bloomingdale, Executive Director for Main Street Greenville. “We hope that people will also see the potential that lies in these buildings and consider how they can still be utilized today.”
The tour will be even more exciting for 2019, as three of the locations have never been on the tour before! The following buildings will be featured on the tour this year: 201 W. Main St. (Old Lohmann Telescope Factory), 107 W. Main St. (Space above Final Bow Center for Children’s Performing Arts), 116 W. 4th St. (Space above Marchal & Marchal, Ltd.), and 421 S. Broadway (Space above Granny’s Corner, Tangles, MinuteMan Press, and The Darke County Welcome Center). The bonus location (no ticket necessary to view this location) will be an available downtown apartment, located at 132 E. 3rd St.
A video-tour featuring the upper floor locations on the tour will be offered the same evening (during the same time) for those with limited mobility. The video tour can be viewed at the Darke County Welcome Center (421 S. Broadway).
Tickets are $5 each and unlimited tickets will be available. The tour is free for students and children 17 and younger. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets will be available at the Darke County Welcome Center starting on Monday, April 29th and will be sold the day of the event as well.
“Our hope is that the Upper Floor Tours will encourage and inspire others to consider living options in the downtown area and continue to increase the demand for upper floor apartment living,” said Bloomingdale.
Downtown residents can make a sizable contribution to the health and the stability of the overall downtown economy. “People who choose to live downtown often embrace the lifestyle, supporting the businesses on an almost daily basis,” said Bloomingdale. “Our goal is to have these upper floors utilized. We hope this event will encourage people to look at our historic buildings a little differently when traveling down Broadway.”
Mote and Associates, Inc. sponsors the annual Upper Floor Tour, a professional design firm specializing in civil engineering and land surveying. The tour is presented by Main Street Greenville in collaboration with Historic Preservation Month to bring awareness and respect to our built environment.
First Fridays are a monthly event presented by Main Street Greenville, a non-profit organization committed to stimulating and supporting revitalization efforts, historic preservation and grown in historic Downtown Greenville. To learn more about the organization or the event, please visit www.MainStreetGreenville.org, follow them on social media, or contact them at 937-548-4998.