CANNELTON – Architecture of a century past still highlights Cannelton’s downtown business district. Yet, it’s an ode to a decades-ago heyday, with many of the storefronts now vacant and several in disrepair.

While many in the city say it’s time for these building to go, members from Renew Cannelton believe there is an opportunity to revive the depressed streetscape. Those plans by the group include petitioning to become a member of the state’s Indiana Main Street Program.

Getting that backing, Renew President Barbara Beard said, would open up a new revenue stream from grants that aren’t available to other groups. Overseen by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Indiana Main Street Program boasts helping back more than 10,000 building improvement projects and spurring $3.1 billion in private reinvestment since 1985.

Beard and her fellow members believe that type of assistance could be what it takes to get others on board with restoration initiatives. She hopes other groups, such as Cannelton Foundation and the city council, can all come together in a united effort to preserve Cannelton’s architecture.

“We’ve got a lot of commercial buildings. We don’t have a lot of businesses,” Beard said of the motivation behind the move. “We’ve got to get more people involved.”

With just a handful of members to start out the fledgling organization, the goal is to “start small and work your way up” to bigger projects,” Beard continued. That starts with a financial backing, and perhaps adding a stop on the Dogwood Tour.

Beard explained that Renew Cannelton has taken the reins of next month’s Heritage Fest, and they’d like to make headway, initially, through such ventures. “We’d like to do bigger things, but we’ve got to get money first,” she continued. They’ve also successfully netted a sizable grant that will help pay construction of a new sign to greet visitors crossing into the community from Cannelton.

That project was contracted to stone mason Greg Harris who was in attendance  Thursday. Harris, who has taken on several other community projects in recent years, lauded Renew’s commitment to preservation.

Denoting that “this little city, back in the 1800s, was really something,” he said there is a great need to “bring back that heritage.”

This latest organizational meeting had another strong proponent in Cannelton resident Joe Hermann, who is also a long-time member of the county Convention Visitors Bureau. Hermann has long been involved in undertakings in the city, through organizations, such as Historic Cannelton, that helped revitalize the Cotton Mill.

He advised that Cannelton already has a designated historical district, which should help in Renew’s planning.

Hermann also advocated that Renew look at already established venues to help promote their efforts and piggyback wherever possible. He said Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission should quickly become a partner as it had already compiled a great deal of information on the historic designations and could best advise what grants to seek.

As Renew seeks to benefit from the Indiana Main Street vision, Beard said they hope to begin progress with “tangible, visible, low cost things that are doable.”
Copyright 2024