Our History
How the Main Street Program began in McMinnville?
The Main Street program in McMinnville was made possible by the work of a small group of citizens operating as an organization under the name of The Heritage Alliance. This organization had been in existence as a formal entity since 1994 and served as the umbrella organization for preserving the history of Warren County. The Heritage Alliance identified as one of its key goals to bring nationally successful Main Street approach to downtown revitalization to McMinnville's historic commercial district. In 1999, McMinnville was accepted into the Tennessee Main Street Association as an official Main Street community and in October, 1999, The Heritage Alliance employed the Main Street program's first full-time director.
It was decided soon after hiring a director that the Main Street program needed to operate as a separate entity, with its own Board of Directors, funding sources and membership.
Main Street McMinnville Now
Main Street McMinnville, Inc. serves the entire population of Warren County, Tennessee. McMinnville is the county seat and its historic commercial district is home to the Courthouse, City Hall, churches, banks, retail outlets, professional offices, public recreational spaces, the Post Office and the Chamber of Commerce. Every person in Warren County can benefit from having an attractive, thriving and historically preserved downtown area from the perspectives of tourism, industrial recruitment, an expanded tax base and enhanced civic pride.
In the nine years since the inception of the program, we have focused upon developing long-term solutions to the challenges facing our historic commercial district. For a look back at our accomplishments over the years including our most recent, please see MSM Accomplishments.