[MainstreetTowns] Facade Reveal ~ Event Ideas

Tue Aug 29 16:46:46 CDT 2017

Main Streeters,

Don't you just love it when a building/business owner removes an aluminum slipcover from their buildings downtown! Wouldn't it be cool if your Main Street organization can lead the efforts in this typically simple and low cost, yet high impact, design improvement?  Prompted by Shana at El Reno Main Street, I took some time to gather ideas from our files and also asked the Architect's listserve for their thoughts.

I asked, "Has anyone ever heard of making an event out of a slipcover removal? One of our Program Directors emailed the question and I think it is a fun idea. She was thinking about having bleachers and a band - to really make a party out of it. We would love some ideas!"

The collected comments are below. Here's to many a happy slipcover removal!

>>Oklahoma Examples:

Way back when, in Cordell, Oklahoma, the Main Streeters had D-10 Day.  This sounded like a military operation of reclaiming some territory or so, but it really was De-Tin Day.  They scheduled 5 aluminum fronts to come down in one day around the Washita County Courthouse Square.  They made big event out of this.  It was sort of tricky because it is a rather small courthouse square at the intersection of two state highways with lots of hay haulers and cattle trucks and oil field machinery constantly using the highways.  Traffic management and safety were issues-but they made the most of the day.  This worked.  They had a lot of coverage of the event.

~Ron Frantz, University of Oklahoma, IQC

I thought a good attraction would be something really funny like recruiting some of the manliest men in town and having a sexy legs contest (reveal). People could vote with money to determine the winner and the money from the "slipcover reveal" could go to the next project, or a good cause! My mind is funny on Monday mornings :p so don't think poorly of me.

~Larry Lucas,

>>Other states:

Rock Island Illinois has a neighborhood association that has yearly events called the Great Unveiling where volunteers take artificial siding off of residences in the neighborhood. Not quite the same but similar goals. https://www.facebook.com/BroadwayHistoricDistrict/photos/pcb.10154442540317328/10154442540157328/?type=3

~Carol Dyson, Illinois

I have two examples of such an event.  The first is in Quincy, IL, which had lots of slipcovers on individual buildings (as opposed to block-wide slipcovers). The design committee of the Historic Quincy Business District created a "Building Unveiling" event for each one, with the owner's permission, of course.  They tied it to their façade grant program.  Early on a Saturday morning, a crew of volunteers (mostly design committee members but also local contractors and similar) arrived onsite.  There were donuts, coffee, local press, dignitaries, and a game plan thought out in advance by the committee.   Everyone who worked signed an insurance waiver. It was a great, low cost way to remove many of the small slipcovers in the downtown.  Done in a morning, usually.  Great photos in the local paper; great publicity for the business in the building and for the Main Street program.

Second was the Big Brown Takedown in Niles, MI.  In 2003-4, Niles Main Street made an event of taking down its large bronze anodized aluminum slipcover installed by Kawneer in the 1970s. (picture attached) this thesis mentions the slipcover: https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/james_elizabeth_a_200412_mhp.pdf.  I thought that a portion of it should be preserved because Niles was the home of Kawneer, and the company would often test out its new products in its hometown downtown.  This slipcover was no different, and was likely the first installation of the Kawneer's new Shadowform aluminum product. Attached is the original rendering of the Kawneer slipcover - quite a massive thing.  Lisa Croteau, MS Executive Director, organized a big event with food, and such.  A celebration of the removal.  Call Niles to find out more.
~Anthony Rubano, Illinois

One thought came into my fuzzy Monday morning head.  Ask all the business owners to donate wrapped a "mystery box".  The contents can be anything they wish to include, to promote their products or to get rid of.   It can include any number of items, too. Then have a public auction of the boxes, and the winners then "reveal" the contents.  The funds go to a "good cause", businesses get some publicity, and people have fun! Could be something thematic that goes with the event.

~Debra Johnson, Michigan

Larry B. Lucas, II
Architect, CPHC®, LEED® AP O+M,
Oklahoma Main Street Center, Oklahoma Dept. of Commerce
900 N. Stiles Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Ph: 405-815-5119 | Fax: 405-815-5109 | OKcommerce.gov/main-street
[cid:image001.jpg at 01D320E6.6421F3F0]
         [cid:image001.png at 01D06622.7C1449D0] <http://okcommerce.gov/>

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