Tryon scores again Tryon Theatre rehabilitation wins 2019 N.C. Main Street award

Published 11:38 am Thursday, May 7, 2020

Tryon Theatre rehabilitation wins 2019 N.C. Main Street award

Tryon has once again been recognized by the NC Main Street Program. Nineteen communities received awards for excellence in downtown revitalization at the North Carolina Main Street and Small Town Main Street Awards Ceremony on March 11 in New Bern, NC. Winners were chosen from a pool of more than 50 nominations.

North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland and Assistant Secretary of Rural Economic Development Kenny Flowers presented the awards in categories that include economic vitality, design, promotion and organization.

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Scott and Gayle Lane received the award for Best Historic Rehabilitation for their outstanding work on the historic Tryon Theatre. With them to accept the award, were Mike and Kim Karaman and Dean Trakas. Mayor Alan Peoples was thrilled with the awards stating “The greatest thing about Tryon is the people. We come from far and wide; however, we all seem to have the same vision. Nearly perfect! Always Tryon!”

The theatre project was more than an historic structural renovation. The Lanes have brought back the glory days of movie theaters by expanding the types of films offered and increasing their appeal to a much wider area. People come from Greenville and Spartanburg every week to view our great films in a beautifully restored theater. The Tryon Theatre is one more thing that makes Tryon a destination regionally. Sellout crowds are not unusual. The theatre is also a perfect anchor for The Tryon International Film Festival held in early fall.

Gayle Lane responded, “What a wonderful recognition of the Tryon Theatre. We love living in a town with a thriving arts scene and an independent movie theatre. When the theatre made itself available, we put our historic preservation experience and our over-confident optimism to work. Our heartfelt thanks go to TDDA and NC Main Street for honoring our team with this award.”

Assistant Secretary Flowers says the annual Main Street Awards are a chance to showcase best practices in building rehabilitation, downtown revitalization strategies, historic preservation and creative marketing. “Common to every successful Main Street program are authenticity and partnership, and these communities exemplify the best of those qualities.”

 

Submitted by Tryon Downtown Development Association