Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today that Ormond Beach Main Street has been designated the February 2017 Florida Main Street Program of the Month. Communities are selected based on their developmental achievements and participation in the Florida Main Street Program. This program has achieved a total of $144 million in public/private reinvestment since it’s designation in 1995. With the completion of 312 projects, Ormond Beach Main Street has helped create over 1,387 net new jobs to its Main Street area.
“Ormond Beach is a successful coastal Main Street program that has been thriving for over 20 years,” said Secretary Detzner. “With supportive downtown partnerships, Ormond Beach’s Main Street program has invigorated public participation and entrepreneurship within the historic commercial district.”
A mini version of the Ormond Garage was built in 2013 to pay homage to the original building.
(Photo courtesy of historicshed.com)
Ormond Beach was originally populated by Native Americans who lived along the Halifax and Tomoka Rivers. Timucan villages were present at the time when French explorer Jacquez LeMoyne and Spanish Captain DePrado were there in the late 1500s. The area was eventually developed by sugar cane planters, ship builders, hoteliers, and railroad magnates. In the late 19th century and early 20thcentury Ormond Beach became known as a popular winter vacation destination. John Anderson and J.D. Price were investors who bought land and built the first wing of the Ormond Hotel which opened on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1888. They expanded their investment ventures and hired W.J Morgan to help promote auto racing on the beach. In 1903, Ormond Beach was the site of the first timed beach car race and since then has been known as the “birthplace of speed”. Henry Flagler built the Ormond Garage, “America’s Original Gasoline Alley” in 1905 to house the cars from France, Germany, England, as well as the U.S., that came to participate in the annual races. The garage burned down in 1976, but today a state historical marker commemorates the building site at 113 East Granada Boulevard. One of the area’s most famous resident was John D. Rockefeller, who purchased a winter cottage known as “the Casements” in 1918 and made Ormond Beach his home for over 19 years.
For more information about Ormond Beach Main Street or the Florida Main Street program visit OrmondBeachMainStreet.com or floridamainstreet.com or facebook.com/FloridaMainStreet.
About Florida Main Street
Florida Main Street is a program administered by the Division of Historical Resources under the Florida Department of State, which currently oversees 47 communities throughout the state. By implementing the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach®, Florida Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation through the revitalization of Florida’s downtowns – the community’s heart and soul. Since the program’s inception in 1985, the Florida Main Street programs have cumulatively created 25,304 jobs, 8,180 new businesses and produced $2.5 billion in reinvestment.
