Downtown District Plaques to be Unveiled at Special Program, Wednesday, July 17th, 11am! Two bronze plaques, born of a collaborative effort between Rome’s downtown business owners and downtown residents, will be unveiled at two brief ceremonies on Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 11 a.m. The plaques commemorate the 30th anniversary of the addition of the Between the Rivers Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places. The markers were funded by the Between the Rivers Association and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The Between the Rivers Historic District was officially placed in the register on June 9, 1983, by the United States Department of the Interior. The area was chosen based on its historic and architectural significance, chronicling the residential, commercial and industrial development of Rome. The first marker will be revealed in the heart of the downtown residential area at the intersection of East 2nd Street and East 5th Avenue along the exterior brick steps to the City Clocktower. A second plaque will be unveiled afterwards adjacent to the Mitchell Plaza fountain on the East 3rd Avenue façade of the Rome Area History Museum. “As a preservation-based program of revitalization for the historic city center of Rome and Floyd County, we welcome and appreciate the opportunity to partner in celebration of the national recognition of this historic district,” said Ann Arnold, DDA director. The Downtown Development Authority also serves as a ready point of contact for prospects, project management, and administering the downtown revolving loan fund, all in an effort to better the downtown community. “While our organizations may encompass different kinds of members and objectives, our ultimate goal to preserve where Rome first began unites our respective groups,” said Luke Chaffin, president of the Between the Rivers Association. “We are thrilled to be able to work with DDA in conjunction with the City of Rome and the Rome Area History Museum on such a worthwhile project.” The Between the Rivers Association is the downtown neighborhood association comprised of homeowners and renters residing in the designated area bordered roughly by East 6th Avenue, the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers. According to the National Park Service, the National Register of Historic Places was created as a part of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The program aids in the support and coordination of public and private initiatives to “identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources”. Other notable sites in downtown Rome located on the National Register include the Double-Cola Bottling Company on East 2nd Avenue, the Historic Floyd County Courthouse and the City Clocktower. For more information on the partnership and the unveiling, contact Amanda Carter in the Downtown Development Authority at 706.236.4520.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 12:32:03 +0000