[MainstreetTowns] Facade Reveal ~ Event Ideas

director at sapulpamainstreet.com director at sapulpamainstreet.com
Tue Aug 29 16:56:13 CDT 2017 

We were making ours an event 20 years ago.  We have a Façade Squad.  We
grilled hamburgers for all the volunteers, had music.  People brought their
lawn chairs and so they could sit behind the barricades and watch.  It is
fun and exciting for your city.  

 

Cindy McDonald

Executive Director

Sapulpa Main Street

101 E. Dewey Ave.

Sapulpa, OK  74066

918-224-5709

 

 

    Mission Statement

The purpose of the Main Street program is to preserve and enhance the
cultural heritage of Sapulpa, and to improve the quality of life by
revitalizing the Central Business District as the center of the Community.

 

This is done through education and management in organization, promotion,
design and economic vitality. 

 

 

 

From: MainstreetTowns [mailto:mainstreettowns-bounces at lists.onenet.net] On
Behalf Of Larry Lucas
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2017 4:47 PM
To: Shana Ford <director at elrenomainstreet.com>;
MainstreetTowns at lists.onenet.net
Subject: [MainstreetTowns] Facade Reveal ~ Event Ideas

 

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.101544425403173
28/10154442540157328/?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



          <http://okcommerce.gov/> 

 

 

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