Dear Friend,

As a 501©(3) non-profit, Historic Lebanon relies on donations to fund our programs. Your donation will help us succeed with our mission of revitalizing the Historic Public Square and surrounding neighborhoods. Historic Lebanon is a nationally accredited member of the Tennessee Main Street program and from October 2017 to October 2018 we are celebrating our tenth anniversary!

Our focus is to preserve the historic buildings, increase tourism, entice more entrepreneurs and to create a sense of place in our historic downtown core. We want to use the historic properties in new ways to create a vibrant area with restaurants, retail/office spaces and urban living. Another goal is a more walkable downtown with public green spaces, a direct connection to the Music City Star commuter train station with a walking trail and the installation of public art. These improvements will create a gathering place for locals as well as increase tourism to the historic downtown.

Simply put; Historic Lebanon strives to enhance Lebanon’s quality of life and to increase our profile as a great small town.

With your gift, we will remain a strong advocate for the proper development of our Square and surrounding neighborhoods for now and for generations to come.

Historic Lebanon is also in charge of the local Tennessee Main Street program. A real advantage of Main Street communities is the program’s strength in achieving economic vitality. Studies show for every one dollar invested in a historic downtown, there is a thirty-six dollar return. This return on investment (ROI) is achieved by using the four points of the Main Street program, Design, Organization, Promotion and Economic Vitality to present our Square is its best light.

In the past year, we have received two major grants from the TN Main Street program. First, is the Façade Improvement Grant ($100,000) for historic properties on the Public Square and second is the TN Main Street Entrepreneur Grant ($50,000). We are proud our hard work is paying off and the community is receiving the benefit of these grants, but as with most grants, they are allotted for a specific purpose. They do not cover operational expenses, a key element in keeping the lights on and the wheels turning. For these expenses, we rely on community donations.

Won’t you make a gift to support our programs and missions? There are many levels of giving and all are tax deductible. Remember your dollars stay in the local community and can affect real change.

Cordially,
Kim Parks, Executive Director