About Mainstreet Marianna

Most small towns have a reputation for having a slower way of life. The town of Marianna, the seat of Jackson County is no different—except leaders of the Mainstreet Marianna program hope to make that a literal truth in the future. Program leaders have begun working with the Florida Department of Transportation to slow down the traffic in the downtown district so pedestrians have more time to cross the streets and explore all the city has to offer.

 It represents just one way city leaders and volunteers hope make the city more prominent to residents and visitors who pass through on the main thoroughfare, Highway 90 or Lafayette Street.

More than 700 façade improvementsweremade tomany of the exterior buildings in downtown Marianna in the early 1990s. Now, the city has become known as the “Belle of the Panhandle,” because of its return to the Old Florida-style of the 1920s. Mainstreet Marianna leaders and volunteers have even more planned for the future.

A recent master plan, consisting of four to five years of effort to bring more arts and culture to the downtown area has been completed.

The Marianna Police Department has expanded recently, forcing the Mainstreet program to look for new office space, which has turned into another way to fulfill the organization’s mission. Leaders hope to convert the Wachovia Bank Building into a Jackson County History Museum. The building, first erected in 1902 as the First National Bank, is believed to be the first site in Florida where the adding machine and loose leaf ledger were used. The building was restored in 1993, and the bank president’s office will become Mainstreet Marianna’s new home, once the museum is complete.

Leaders have acquired the land and planned for a Performing Arts Park on two and a half acres along Highway 90, headingwest into town. The site, located atop a hill,will be the perfect spot for Marianna residents and visitors to gather for festivals, concerts and other events. An approximately three block area will be blocked off so people can walk around and enjoy the events. Officials hope to have the first concert in the new bandstand by 2009.

“Everybody will know that that will be the place to go,” the Mainstreet Marianna Director said. “It will become that place.”

With upcoming plans, the downtown areawill transform. Plans include adding more parking spaces and cooperating with the Florida Greenways and Trails program to provide walking access to the nearby Chipola River. The trailwill be 11- plusmiles and connect the Hinson Park to Florida Caverns State Park. “Anything that gives [people] a place that provides prospective is good,” the Mainstreet Director said.

However, the downtown area is not just about the future. New businesses have moved in during recent years, providing a solid mix for residents or potential visitors. Stores include everything from a woman’s clothing boutique to an oldfashioned ice cream parlor.

“We’re trying to make a good impression for our downtown to people coming through,” the Mainstreet Director said.

That way, maybe they will understand Marianna’s slower way of life.