To celebrate Partners in Preservation: Main Streets, 20 historic sites participating in the campaign will host Open House Weekend events, October 20 – 21, 2018. Visitors are invited to learn about the campaign, which focuses on sites celebrating the nation’s diversity and the struggle for equal rights, the unique history of each of these places and their restoration efforts. The events feature family-friendly activities ranging from block parties and live music to walking tours and art exhibits.

Created in 2006 by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Partners in Preservation is a community-based partnership to raise awareness of the importance of preserving historic places and their role in sustaining local communities. To-date, it has committed over $22 million in support of more than 200 historic sites across the country.

The program recently launched its 2018 campaign, which will award a total of $2 million in preservation grants to historic sites on America’s Main Streets. From the counters of the Greensboro sit-ins to the “Ellis Island of the South” in Miami, each of the 20 sites featured in the campaign played a role in the development of a diverse nation.

The public will determine which sites will receive funding by voting for their favorite main streets through October 26 at VoteYourMainStreet.org, the online voting website hosted by National Geographic Travel. Delta Air Lines is also a campaign sponsor.

“American Express has a long-standing commitment to preserving historic places on Main Street and the Shop Small® movement,” said Richard Brown, vice president of philanthropy, American Express. “We hope local communities support Partners in Preservation: Main Streets Open House Weekend because when we support our local historic sites and districts, we maintain diversity, drive development, preserve character, attract visitors and propel commerce.”

“Experiencing historic sites offers an opportunity to explore the diverse and complex past that comprises our American story, and Open House weekend will allow local communities to do just that,” said Germonique Ulmer, vice president of public affairs, National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The struggle for equality remains relevant today, and we are proud of this collection of sites that are a part of this program that represent civil rights, labor, immigrant and women’s history.”

More information about each Open House Weekend event is available at VoteYourMainStreet.org/Events. Guests of the sites are invited to share their love for preservation via social media using #VoteYourMainStreet.

Baltimore, MD
The Arch Social Club

Biddeford, ME
City Hall Clock Tower
Saturday, October 20, 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Biddeford City Square

Birmingham, AL
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Sunday, October 21, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, 1530 6th Avenue N, Birmingham, AL 35203

Boston, MA
Roslindale Congregational Church, UCC
Saturday, October 20, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Roslindale Congregational Church Sanctuary, UCC, 25 Cummins Highway, Roslindale, MA 02131

Butte, MT
Wah Chong Tai Mercantile and Mai Wah Noodle Parlor
Sunday October 21, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Imagine Butte Resource Center, 68 West Park Street, Butte, MT 59701

Chicago, IL
Bronzeville Cookin’
Saturday, October 20, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Bronzeville Incubator, 300 East 51st Street, Chicago, IL 60615

Danville, MA
Union Street, Danville, VA
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Bridge Street, Danville, VA

Greensboro, NC
International Civil Rights Center & Museum
Friday, October 19, and Saturday, October 20
International Civil Rights Center & Museum, 134 South Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401

Kent, WA
Historic Morrill Bank
Saturday, October 20, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
202 West Gowe Street, Kent, WA, and the ShoWare Center

Leadville, CO
The Tabor Opera House
Sunday, October 21, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Tabor Opera House, 308 Harrison Avenue, Leadville, CO 80461

Los Angeles, CA
The Church of the Epiphany
Saturday, October 20, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Church of the Epiphany, 2808 Altura Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031

Memphis, TN
Clayborn Temple
Sunday, October 21, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Clayborn Temple, 294 Hernando Street, Memphis, TN 38126

Miami, FL
The Freedom Tower
Saturday, October 20, 1:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Miami Dade College’s Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33132

New York, NY
Main Court of the Hispanic Society of America
Saturday, October 20, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Audubon Terrace, Broadway Between 155th and 156th Streets, New York, NY 10032

Nogales, AZ
Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber Co.
Saturday, October 20, 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Nogales Community Development Corporation, 250 North Grand Avenue, Nogales, AZ 85621

Pontiac, MI
GM Modern Housing Legacy Homes
Sunday, October 21, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Oakland Park, 500 East Montcalm Street, Pontiac, MI 48342

Salt Lake City, UT
New Hope Community Center

San Francisco, CA
The Women’s Building
Saturday, October 20, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
The Women's Building, 3543 18th Street #8, San Francisco, CA 94110

San Marcos, TX
Historic First Baptist Church
Saturday and Sunday, October 20 and 21, 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Historic First Baptist Church, 219 West MLK Drive, San Marcos, TX

Seneca Falls, NY
National Women’s Hall of Fame
Saturday, October 20, 10:00 AM- 4:00 PM
National Women’s Hall of Fame, 76 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY 13148

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About Partners in Preservation

Partners in Preservation is a program in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awards preservation grants to historic places across the country.

Through this partnership, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public's awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and to preserve America's historic and cultural places. The program also hopes to inspire long-term support from local citizens for the historic places at the heart of their communities.

About American Express

American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.

Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, InAuth, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility.

About Main Street America

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, Inc., a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. www.mainstreet.org

About National Geographic Partners LLC

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 130 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Shop Small^®

Shop Small^® is a nationwide movement to support small, independent businesses and call attention to the valuable and distinct contributions they make to their communities and the economy. Shop Small celebrates small businesses ranging from retail stores and restaurants to fitness studios and salons, and everything in between. The Shop Small movement was spurred by the widespread participation in Small Business Saturday^®, a day founded in 2010 by American Express. This national holiday shopping tradition is dedicated to celebrating small businesses and driving more customers through their doors on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. November 24, 2018 marks the ninth annual Small Business Saturday, proudly backed by American Express. Learn more and connect with us on ShopSmall.com, instagram.com/shopsmall, facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.

Media Contacts:

Amelia T. Woltering, American Express
amelia.t.woltering@aexp.com
212-640-7034

Andy Grabel, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Agrabel@savingplaces.org
202-588-6025

Sarah Tanner, Day One Agency
Sarah@D1A.com
828-289-4473