GRANGER, Texas — Turning the historic past into a booming economy is the goal of the Texas Main Street Program.
Granger is one of the newest members of that program. City leaders met for the first time Tuesday to plan out their future.
A Texas Main Street representative said Granger has “a great ability to be a regional destination.”
As the smallest city in the program, they hope it will a big impact.
“This here is the original English tile,” Granger Mayor Trevor Cheatheam said, as he showed KVUE the old City Hall building.
He said this all started with that building.
"We had to move out because the back wall was falling off,” Mayor Cheatheam said.
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Once they got a grant to fix it, someone suggested they apply for the Texas Main Street Program.
“We’re just basically wanting to preserve the historical integrity of the buildings we have left and get them back in use,” Mayor Cheatheam said.
It’s the pieces of history they've preserved, from copper ceilings to reflective glass windows.
"It is a, very much a architectural gem that Granger still has because there's very little of it left,” Mayor Cheatheam said.
And it's these pieces, left unchanged, that helped the town of 1,600 earn the newest spot in the Texas Main Street Program, as part of the Texas Historical Commission.
"The history in each one of these vacant buildings is significant,” Jamie Church said.
Church is a new business owner in town and a member of the city's new Main Street Advisory Board.
"To be able to come and intake that history and attract new business and bring new life to this town, it's a benefit to everyone,” Church said.
"I think it would be very cool to see Downtown Granger not necessarily get trendy, but kind-of be more attractive for people to come to,” Cody Castongue, another board member, said. "Just to have more businesses to go to, more reasons to come to Downtown Granger."
"Right now, we probably have six lots on Main Street that could be built on,” Mayor Cheatheam said.
They also have about another dozen vacant buildings.
They hope a business will fill each one.
"Granger was very prosperous in the early 1900s,” Mayor Cheatheam said.
There won’t be an overnight change. The program is designed for these projects to happen little by little as the city gets funding.
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